


A Siren's Tale

by RoseyR



Category: South Park
Genre: Abuse, Action/Adventure, Affection, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Child Abuse, Crushes, Death, Depression, Developing Relationship, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Fights, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Growing Up, Horror, Islands, Jealousy, Kissing, Loneliness, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Near Death Experiences, New Family, Ocean, One-Sided Attraction, Pirates, Romance, Sailing, Siren Tweek Tweak, Sirens, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Survival, Swordfighting, Swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2020-09-23 20:30:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 56,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20346265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseyR/pseuds/RoseyR
Summary: This is a story about a boy, pirates, adventure, love, family, death, monsters, unimaginable creatures, and a siren.This is a story about Craig and Tweek, and the adventures they have together.





	1. A Boy and a Siren

**Author's Note:**

> So if the story seems familiar to any of you, especially those that have read ABCs of Creek, this is a retelling of the one shot. This new story will involve the same elements as the one shot, but with more added events and stuff, more characters, a change in events, and a bit more development between the relationship with Craig and Tweek. I also gave it a different title, mostly because I didn't want to use the same title as the one shot, and because this does feel like it consists more stories and myths than one single story like the one shot did, hence why the change in the story's title, but over all, it's the same story with the same feel to it, there's just a few changes here and there.
> 
> Reason I'm writing this into a multi-chapter story is because I did say that I wanted to add more stuff to the original one shot, but couldn't because there was a limit to how much I could write in one story, and I did say that I wanted to do more, and even suggested that if I were to write this story again, I'd have to change a few things, but keep the main plot. So, after a long time since I made the original one shot, I bring a new story, it'll have adventure, creek, all the characters we love, and more!
> 
> So hope you enjoy the new story, and enjoy all the new things that I have added and will add for future chapters. Happy readings everyone!

It was said that eating the tail of a siren would grant you immortality, that you get to wish for anything your heart desires, that all the troubles around you will go away, just like that. You would be happy, you would no longer feel sad, you would no longer be stressed from the world, you’d finally be at peace.

Of course, this was an old sailor story that many who travel on the sea would tell to one another, but that doesn’t mean there are those who would go out of their way to search for a siren, just to consume their tail and get their every desire granted. In the old days, many have lost their lives just by trying to find these mythical creatures that live in the sea, many even have become obsessed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, there really is a siren out there.

However, as time continued and the modern world began to grow, this sailor story was left as that, a story. People no longer believed that sirens are real, that they were a myth, and soon, people have forgotten those types of stories, and moved on with their day.

Of course...not everyone will forget.

This is a story about a young little boy. The little boy lived on a small island in the middle of the ocean, quite far from big cities or towns, and for the most part, the people that lived on the island were quite a friendly community, always there for each other, and ready to help in anyway possible.

The little boy had two parents, and father and mother. The father was a sea captain, traveling around the sea, going to the mainland to get supplies and other goods for the island. Whenever the little boy watched his father leave, he would always wait for him to return by sitting on the beach, excited to see what new item his father would bring. For the little boy, he dreamed of being like his father one day, traveling the ocean, seeing new things, and going on his own adventures, but until he was old enough, he would wait patiently for his father to come back home. The little boy’s mother was a sweet and kind woman, who worked as the small town’s local seamstress. The mother was expecting a baby girl, meaning the young boy would be a big brother in a few months, and as time goes by, the little boy was amazed by how large his mother’s stomach has gotten, he would wait patiently for the day his baby sister will arrive.

Life on the island was peaceful for the little boy, and though there were times where he felt he was alone, most because there weren’t that many children around his age on the island, he enjoyed his time there, he enjoyed living in the house his parents built, he enjoyed running around the beach and watching the waves of the ocean, he enjoyed collecting seashells, he enjoyed hearing stories that his father and uncles would tell, he enjoyed every moment of his life.

Life was peaceful for the boy, and he never wants anything to change.

“Craig, come down here, your aunts and uncles are here.”

“Coming!” A little boy with black hair, blue eyes, has a slightly dark skin, and was wearing a blue chullo hat started walking downstairs to greet his family who have come to celebrate his tenth birthday.

The little boy was named Craig Tucker.

“There’s the birthday boy!”

“Uncle Felix!” Craig exclaimed as he rushed over to hug his uncle.

“My, you’re getting big. I hope you ain’t eating your parents out of their house and home, kiddo.”

Craig chuckled as he let go of uncle and greeted his other relatives that came all the way from the mainland to see him and celebrate his birthday.

“Little Craig, look what I got you!”

“Oh, thanks aunt Sheril,” Craig said as he held up his new pair of swim trunks, they were a size bigger than his other trunks, and Craig knew they weren’t really going to fit, unless he tied the waist somehow, and the little designs on the trunks were a bit questionable. “Why are their...pictures of snowmen on them?”

“Well you said how you wish it would snow here during the winter, so I thought I’d get you something that was close enough,” aunt Sheril said.

“Uh….thanks...” Craig said as he puts the swimming trunks down. He made a mental note to never actually use them and to just keep them with the other useless gifts that aunt Sheril has given him on his previous birthdays and holidays.

Craig continued to greet everyone until it was time for cake. Everyone gathered at the kitchen table, singing happy birthday to Craig. Once the singing was done, Craig turned to his cake and blew out the candles with a smile on his face.

“So boy, what you wish for?” Uncle Felix asked.

“Now now, you know the rules, he’s not supposed to tell anyone his wish, otherwise it won’t come true,” Craig’s mother chuckled.

Craig nodded, even if he actually didn’t have a wish in mind. To Craig, he didn’t really want anything, he was quite happy with what he has now, and all he wanted was for his mother to cut a slice of the cake for him to eat already.

After everyone was eating cake and celebrating the young boy’s birthday, things finally calmed down, and Craig was getting tired from the celebration. However, before he went upstairs and got ready for bed, he searched for his uncle, wanting to hear a story from him.

“Uncle Felix?” Craig said when he found his uncle on the couch, drinking cider in a red solo cup.

“There’s my favorite nephew,” uncle Felxi smiled, “what is it you need?”

“Can I hear one of your sailor stories?” Craig asked.

Uncle Felix let out a hearty chuckle, “I thought you’d be too old for such stories.”

Craig shook his head, “I wanna hear one, you always tell me really cool stories.”

“Oh? What about your father? Doesn’t he tell you stories?”

Craig sat on the couch next to his uncle, “he does...but they aren’t as exciting as yours,” Craig said.

“I heard that,” Craig’s father smiled as he sat next to his son.

“Sorry, dad,” Craig said.

“It’s fine, to be honest, I don’t think I can come up with good enough stories like my brother here,” Craig’s father said.

“Oh? You think my stories are all made up now do you, Thomas?” Uncle Felix smirked.

“Don’t get him started, Felix,” Craig’s father sighed.

“Are you saying that one of your stories is actually true?” Craig asked.

“Aye, I actually have one that has to be the truest of them all,” uncle Felix smiled.

“Here we go,” Craig’s father sighed.

Uncle Felix leaned closer, looking around before looking at the young boy, “ever heard of...sirens?”

“Sirens?” Craig asked.

“Aye, they’re like mermaids. They look human above, but instead of legs, they have fish tails and fins,” uncle Felix said.

“What’s the difference between a siren and mermaid?” Craig asked.

“Not much, except unlike mermaids, sirens are the most deadliest creatures alive.”

“They are?”

“Aye, young one. If you ever hear a siren singing, better to plug them ears. The moment you hear their music, you’ll be under their spell, you’ll soon lose control yourself, and soon, you’ll find yourself drowning in the water, with them holding you down and never letting go.”

“Why do they do that?” Craig asked.

“Many say it’s because sirens never seen humans before, and want to keep them as trophies, but others, including myself, we believe that they actually save their victims...just so they can eat them, specifically their legs.”

“Sirens eat human legs?” Craig made a disgusted look, “gross.”

“Gross indeed,” uncle Felix said, “but the reason they want to eat human legs is because deep down, sirens wish to be able to walk on land like humans, to be more like us.”

“You mean they can’t turn humans like mermaids do when they’re all dried up?”

“I’m afraid so, dear boy. Except...mermaids aren’t real, so even if a siren was left on land to dry, that won’t give them legs, if anything, that would cook them alive until they die from dehydration, just like any other fish.”

“That must be sad...how sirens actually want to be like humans, walking and everything,” Craig said.

“You feel bad for a creature that would drown their victims?”

“Well...a little. They must be very desperate if they’d go that far just so they can walk on land,” Craig said.

Uncle Felix chuckled, “you have a good heart, Craig, but sirens are to never be trusted, if anything, if you ever see a siren, you should capture it.”

“Why?” Craig asked.

“Legends say that if you ever find yourself a siren, you’d be considered the richest man in the world.”

“Are they worth a lot?” Craig asked.

“Not exactly, you see...just like how sirens gain legs by eating human legs, for us humans, if we were to eat their tails, we’d live forever, and...all our wishes will come true.”

“Eating a siren’s tail? Isn’t that as bad as them eating human legs?” Craig asked.

“You think so, boy?”

“Well yeah, I mean...we’re basically doing the same thing to them as they were doing to us. Doesn’t that mean both sides aren’t exactly innocent here, uncle Felix?” Craig asked, crossing his arms.

Uncle Felix looked at the boy before chuckling and looking at his parents, “your boy is a sharp one for his age.”

“Well Craig here does spend most of his time reading books than playing outside,” Craig’s father said as he ruffled the top of Craig’s head.

“It’s good that you’re reading, boy, but experiencing adventures you read is what really makes learning more fun and meaningful.”

“....You think...when I’m old enough, I can sail the ocean like you and dad?” Craig asked.

“If you have your heart set on it, you might even start your adventure early if you can’t wait that long,” uncle Felix grinned.

“Felix, don’t put those thoughts into my son’s head, it’s hard enough dealing with being pregnant, I don’t need my son trying to leave home and go on dangerous adventures when he’s far too young,” Craig’s mother said as she set down a cup of tea and sat down on one of the chairs.

“You need to let the boy live his life, he won’t be a ten year old boy much longer, and who knows what will happen in the future. The future is full of surprises,” uncle Felix said.

“We may not know what the future holds, but we do know how to prevent our son from getting hurt,” Craig’s mother smiled.

“Oh, Thomas. You married a stubborn woman you did. I hope your son doesn’t marry someone who is as stubborn as her,” uncle Felix said.

Craig’s father chuckled, “oh believe me, if Craig does find someone, I’m sure he’ll be the stubborn one in the relationship,” Craig smiled.

Craig frowned, not enjoying the talks about relationships and marriage, finding it quite yucky, at least for the young boy. So instead, Craig excused himself and started heading upstairs, getting ready for bed.

“Hey...uncle Felix?” Craig called before he left for his room.

“Hm?”

“....Can you tell me more stories about sirens the next time you visit?” Craig asked.

Uncle Felix smiled, “of course, I’ll tell you everything, my boy. Next time, I’ll tell you the story about how a siren almost drowned an old buddy of mine.”

Craig smiled, “cool,” Craig said, he then started heading upstairs.

For the rest of the night, Craig thought about sirens. Craig should feel afraid of such creatures, especially when his uncle told them that they were real, but thinking about it now, Craig couldn’t help but think sirens were much cooler than he thought, far more exciting than mermaids he read in his books.

As Craig slept, he couldn’t help but dream of a siren, even dreaming of meeting one, and getting to swim next to one.

Life on the island was quite peaceful for Craig, but just as uncle Felix have said, the future is full of surprises, and the one that Craig and his father experienced was something that broke both of their hearts.

On a stormy night, Craig woke up to his father’s frantic voice, he was currently calling the doctor, asking him to come over right away, that something was happening to Craig’s mother. Worried, Craig quietly walked towards his parents’ room, only to stop when he saw his mother laying on her back, breathing heavily, sweat covering his body, and looked to be in pain.

“Mom?” Craig called out, Craig’s mother slowly turned her head to look at her son, he eyes hazy. “Mom!” Craig called out as he rushed over to her side, “are you okay? Are you hurt?” Craig asked as he carefully placed his hand on top of his mother’s stomach, he went cold when he didn’t feel anything, no kick, no movement, nothing. Nothing was moving inside his mother’s stomach like it normally would. “Mom?”

“Cr….aig….” Craig’s mother began crying as she placed her hand on her son’s face, as if trying to see him with her hands, but couldn’t see him with her eyes.

“Please, I don’t know what’s going on, her fever has gotten really high, she’s barely breathing, she’s in a lot of pain. You gotta get here, quick!” Craig’s father exclaimed from downstairs.

Craig wasn’t sure what was happening, he was too afraid to ask, he simply held onto his mother’s hand on his face, looking at her, wishing for his mother to get better soon.

When the town’s doctor finally arrived, he checked on Craig’s mother. Craig’s father was in the room with the doctor and his wife, but Craig was to wait outside, his father didn’t want his son to see. Of course, Craig peeked inside through the open the door, listening carefully to every word.

“....I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do,” the doctor said.

“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do!? You’re a doctor! You’re supposed to save my wife! Please!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tucker, but because of the storm, we haven’t received our latest shipment of medicine that could save your wife, and even if we try anything else, it’s too late...I’m afraid….your wife...there’s not much-”

“Don’t say it...don’t fucking say it…”

“Thomas….Thomas….” Craig’s mother called out.

“Laura, it’s going to be okay, just hold on, please...just hold on….you’ll be okay...our baby girl will be born...we’ll all live together...as a happy family. You, me, Craig...and...Tricia. You gotta stay strong, honey, you gotta stay strong.”

“I can’t...dear...I just can’t….I can’t feel the baby anymore...I can’t feel it anymore….I can’t feel my legs...I can’t see...I couldn’t see Craig...I can’t...breathe…” Craig’s mother gasped, clutching Craig’s father’s hand.

“Honey, please...don’t…”

“Please….take care of Craig….take...care...of...him…” After a minute, Craig’s mother has gone limp, she slipped her hand out of Craig’s father’s hand before it hung loose on the side of the bed. Craig’s mother was no longer breathing, she was no longer moving, she no longer was alive.

“Laura? Laura!? Laura!” Craig’s father cried out, “no...no please...don’t leave me….don’t leave us...don’t leave us….” Craig’s father fell to the ground, clutching his wife’s hand, crying in agony.

“....I’m sorry, Thomas...she’s gone,” the doctor said as he placed his hand on Craig’s father’s shoulder.

The room fell silent, and the only noises that could be heard was the storm outside, and Craig’s father’s crying. Craig watched all of it unfold, right before his eyes, he began to tremble as he fell backwards, staring at the door in shock, tears in his eyes as he tried to keep himself together, but seeing his mother, and hearing the doctor’s words, Craig eventually broke down.

At that moment, Craig’s peaceful life on the island suddenly began to change.

* * *

“Craig?”

“.....”

“Craig...please….you need to eat.”

“....”

“Come on, kiddo, we didn’t come all the way here just to watch you starve yourself, you gotta eat.”

“.....” Craig stared at the bowl of oatmeal in front of him, but instead of taking a bite, he simply pushed the bowl away, turning his head and looking down at the table.

It’s been three weeks since the funeral, and though both Craig and his father hasn't quite yet recovered after losing two lives that night, Craig’s father continued to move forward, knowing he needed to provide for his son, so with the help of neighbors and family members that would stay with Craig for a few days until Craig’s father came back from his long trip, Craig remained on the island, no longer interested in doing anything he use to love, he couldn’t move forward like his father was trying to do.

“Craig, I know you miss your mother, but you can’t let yourself waste away like this, you gotta eat, son,” uncle Felix said. Both he and aunt Sheril came to stay with Craig for a few days while Craig’s father was busy with delivering goods to the mainland, but for the past few days, Craig barely talked, he barely ate anything, and he doesn’t listen to his aunt or uncle whenever they try to talk to him. Craig simply stayed in his room, sleeping the entire day away. “Come on, boy...you gotta move on, your mother would have wanted you to keep going with your life...not sleeping it away.”

“Felix, maybe we shouldn’t bring up his mother right now, he’s still hurting,” aunt Sheril said.

“Everyone is hurting, you are, I am, even my brother, but we still keep trying to live,” uncle Felix exclaimed, “as for you...you ain’t trying boy, you ain’t even trying to move forward, you’re just letting yourself waste away. Are you planning on letting go of life? Just so you’ll end up with your mother again? Leaving your father and your family behind, creating a bigger hole in your own father’s heart?”

Craig slammed the table in anger, he glared at his uncle with tears in his eyes. Soon, Craig started running out of the kitchen, running out of the house.

“Craig!” Aunt Sheril exclaimed, but Craig was already walking down the small hill that his home was built on, and started heading to town. “Look what you did, Felix.”

Uncle Felix sighed, “the boy isn’t going to stay a boy much longer, he’ll be witnessing far crueler things in the world, and his mother dying is a sign that he needs to learn to grow up and face these problems head on.”

“He’s still a child, Felix, and he lost his mother. Losing someone like your mother takes time. I remember how you cried for months when your mother died.”

“....Which is why I don’t want that boy to end up doing what I did. He needs to make the right choices in life.”

As Craig was walking in town, ignoring everyone around him, as well as trying to stop himself from crying, he looked around, seeing how everyone was going on with their day as normal, as if Craig’s mother’s funeral didn’t happen a few weeks ago. Craig frowned at how everyone was going on with their days, wives laughing and gossiping, husbands drinking and telling stories, kids running around and playing games. Everyone seemed happy, while Craig was miserable.

“.....” Craig slowed down a bit when he saw his mother’s old shop. After Craig’s mother died, the shop closed down. Most of the women were a bit upset that they could no longer buy the clothes that Craig’s mother has made, but they eventually got over it and went on buying clothes from shops that were imported from the mainland. Craig stared at the shop, feeling his heart sinking, it was a reminder that his mother was gone, and would never come back to him.

Craig pulled at his hat before continuing to walk away, ignoring everyone around him.

Eventually, Craig found himself on the beach. He used to love coming down to the beach and wait for his father to come back home, he loved drawing in the sand, swimming in the warm water, and collecting seashells he found to be beautiful, giving them to his mother as a gift. Now, Craig didn’t even want to do anything, but sit on the sand and be alone, not caring how long it’ll be until his aunt and uncle find him. With any luck, he hoped that they’ll not be able to find him, and he can just freeze to death on the beach once it starts getting dark.

For awhile, Craig just sat on the beach, staring at the waves and little creatures walking by the beach, he’d draw in the sand, flip a crap on its back with a stick before flipping it back to normal, and just sat there, doing nothing. After a bit, the boy got tired of sitting and decided to walk around the beach a bit.

As he was walking, staring at the ocean or the sand beneath his feet, he suddenly heard noises in the distance. Confused, the boy started rushing towards the sound before he ended up near the more rocky area where the rest of the beach has been blocked by rocks and boulders that formed alongside the cliff. The moment Craig got near the rocks, he could hear the noises on the other side, a part of Craig wondered if he should just leave and get someone to check, but after hearing a sharp hissing sound, Craig knew that it was a person, and the person might be hurt.

“.....” Knowing that he should check on the person, Craig decided to climb over the rocks and see who the person was. Once Craig reached the top, he looked down and saw someone. He couldn’t make out the person entirely, mostly because there was another rock blocking his view, but Craig did noticed that it was a young blonde boy, appeared to be around his age. Craig started moving closer, hoping to get a better view of the boy, and try not to scare him.

Craig eventually climbed down from the bolder, and started walking slowly behind the boy, not wanting to scare him with his presence. However, Craig soon stopped when he noticed something was off. The back of the boy’s arm had what appeared to be fins and scales, his skin was pale, but had a slight green hue running down the sides of his body, but the one thing that Craig noticed more was the fact that the boy had no legs, instead, the boy had a fish tail.

Craig was looking at a real life siren.

Craig froze, unsure what to do. He thought of just going back and telling his uncle about the siren since he knew his uncle was more of an expert on this, but he soon stopped when he noticed that the siren’s tail was caught in what Craig knew to be an old and rusty crab trap. The metal of the trap was cutting into the siren’s tail, causing the siren to bleed, that must be why the siren was crying out in pain as it thrashed around, trying to get the crab trap off its tail, but having no luck since it has no idea how to open it, nor wasn’t able to pull it off with just two hands. The siren seemed to be in a lot of pain, and Craig felt a bit sorry for it, however, as he stared at the tail, he remembered the story his uncle told him.

If he ate the siren’s tail, his wish would come true. If Craig ate the siren’s tail...would he be able to wish for his mother to come back? Would he be able to wish for both his mother and unborn baby sister to come back to life? Craig felt his heart beating fast.

Craig contemplated on what he should do and how he would be able to capture the siren without it hurting him, however, he stopped when he heard the siren’s cries. It let out a hiss, whimpering in pain as it struggles to get the trap off its tail. Craig suddenly felt his heart dropping, realizing that taking this siren’s life was unfair, that he couldn’t bring himself to eat this siren’s tail when all it wants to do is live, and Craig wasn’t even sure if eating its tail would actually grant him his wish.

Craig knew that his mother would not like this idea, even if it meant bringing her back to life.

Craig let out a sigh, but it seemed the siren had good hearing because it quickly turned around, noticing Craig right away. Craig froze, and for ten seconds, the two stared at each other, but soon after, the siren let out an animalistic shriek, it turned on its stomach and started crawling as fast as it could towards Craig, showing off its razor sharp teeth. Craig panicked and quickly turned, he tried to climb back up over the boulder, but was having a hard time finding something he could grab onto. The siren was getting closer and closer, extending its right hand, ready to grab the young boy, but eventually, Craig managed to climb the boulder and kept climbing, just as the siren was about to grab his foot. Craig quickly got to the top and looked down, seeing the siren screeching, trying to get Craig, but isn’t climbing up, Craig thought that maybe it couldn’t climb at all.

Craig was safe.

Craig let out a sigh of relief, glad that he wasn’t devoured by the siren, but as he looked down, seeing the siren still hissing at him, and looking hungry, he knew he couldn’t stay much longer. He knew he had to get his uncle and have him deal with the siren himself, though, Craig wasn’t sure what will happen if his uncle saw the siren. Would his uncle cut off the siren’s tail and eat it? Craig wasn’t sure what to do at that point.

Eventually, the siren has stopped trying to reach for Craig, and instead, focus on its tail again, it let out a sharp hiss, and it seemed after moving so much from trying to catch Craig, the metal from the trap ended up cutting even deeper into its tail, making it bleed even more. The siren was crying even louder than before from the pain.

“.....” Craig knew he should just leave, the siren appeared to be dangerous, and looked ready to snap Craig’s neck if it saw him back on the ground, but at the same time, he didn’t want the siren to be in anymore pain, and he couldn’t get his uncle or anyone from town to help, knowing full well that they might kill the siren.

So without much choice, Craig hopped on the other rock, so he’d be able to climb down and not be too close to the siren. Once he was down, he slowly walked his way towards the siren, glad that the siren was too distracted from the pain to notice him. Eventually, when Craig got his hands on the crab trap, the siren finally noticed and let out a terrifying hiss. Craig fell back, crawling away as the siren began to crawl towards him, but unlike before, it stopped and started whining from the pain.

“D-don’t!” Craig exclaimed, holding his hands up, “I’m trying to help,” Craig said. The siren glared at him, but it doesn’t seem like it understood what Craig was saying, so Craig tried something else. “Trap. Tail. I want to help you,” Craig said slowly, pointing at the trap and the siren’s tail, and gesturing as best as he could so that the siren understood he didn’t want to hurt the siren, but help it.

The siren laid there, staring at the boy in confusion, but after awhile, and Craig gesturing as best as he could, the siren’s eyes widened, as if he realized what the little boy was saying.

“I-I’m going to take the trap off, s-so...don’t bite my hand off,” Craig said before moving closer until he was kneeling down next to the siren’s tail and the trap, he looked back at the siren cautiously, making sure it doesn’t try anything as he grabbed the trap and began pulling at it, being as careful as he could.

The siren let out a hiss, thrashing its tail around, making it harder for Craig to pull the trap off, even causing the trap to go even deeper into the tail. Craig quickly grabbed the tail, forcing it to stop moving. The siren glared at the boy, holding up its hand, showing the sharp claws it had. Craig paled as the siren growled, looking ready to murder the young boy.

“You need to stop moving if you want this thing off of you,” Craig said, as clear as he could, hoping the siren would understand.

“.....” The siren seemed to understand what Craig was saying since it stopped thrashing its tail, and just sat there quietly, waiting for Craig.

Craig sighed in relief, glad that the siren was making this a bit more easier for him. Craig grabbed the trap and began to pull on it once more. The siren let out a hiss, gripping the sand underneath it, crying and hissing, but kept still as best as it could.

Finally, Craig managed to pull the trap off the siren’s tail, freeing the siren. Craig smiled, now that the trap was off, so he threw the trap to the side and quickly checked the siren’s wound. The cut was deep, but Craig wasn’t sure how to clean it nor if it would get infected or not, the best he could do was at least bandage the wound somehow.

Craig looked around, wondering if seaweed would be the best bandage, but he eventually decided to take off his shirt and tied it around the siren’s tail. It was better to use something that doesn’t have salt water on it, and could possibly make the siren’s wounds even worse.

“There, all better,” Craig said as he looked at his handy work.

“.....” The siren lifted its tail, inspecting the shirt that Craig used as a bandage, the siren touched the fabric, then put its tail down. The siren then turned to Craig, and spoke in a chirping noise.

“W-what?” Craig asked, confused.

“....” The siren stopped for a second before speaking again, this time speaking with words, or at least what Craig thought were words, he wasn’t sure since the siren was speaking in a language he doesn’t understand or know anything about.

“If you’re trying to say ‘thank you,’ then you’re welcome,” Craig smiled.

“....Th..aaaaaank….y...yyyy...ooooooo,” the siren said, as if trying to imitate what Craig said.

“Yeah...you’re welcome,” Craig said, confused, but felt a bit relieved that the siren was better. However, Craig knew he wasn’t in the clear yet, he was still next to a creature that could eat him, so he knew he had to get going before the siren changed its mind on keeping him alive, and just eat him right there and then. “I better get going, and you better go back home,” Craig said as he slowly stood up and started walking away.

However, before Craig could leave, the siren suddenly grabbed at the boy’s arm, pulling him down. Craig fell and landed on top of the siren, and when Craig looked up, his heart stopped as he was now really close to the siren’s face, he could see the siren’s sharp teeth, he could smell blood from its breath, he could see the pointy ears hidden within its hair, and he could make out vibrant green eyes with vertical slit pupils.

Craig was terrified.

“Please...don’t eat me,” Craig began trembling as he looked into the siren’s eyes.

However, instead of the siren moving its head closer to sink its teeth into Craig’s flesh like Craig expected him to do, the siren simply sat there, staring at the boy. Craig looked at him, wondering what he was going to do, when suddenly, he noticed that the siren’s eyes were glowing. Craig felt his whole body tense up, and he couldn’t do anything but stay perfectly still, looking into the siren’s eyes.

Craig suddenly felt dizzy, his head was pounding, and he could feel something dripping from his nose. Craig realized that he was having a nose bleed. 

Craig wanted to move away, but his body refused to move, as if something was holding him, preventing him from moving, eventually, the siren’s eyes went back to normal, and Craig felt his body go limp, he fell against the siren’s chest, breathing heavily as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

“Nnngg...my head hurts...what did you do?” Craig groaned as he lifted himself off the siren’s chest, relieved he’s able to move his limbs again.

Craig thought the siren wasn’t going to respond, but he jumped when he hears the siren speaking to him in clear English.

“Sorry, I had to in order to thank you properly, human,” the siren said.

Craig stared at the siren, surprised that he was able to understand him now, or the fact that the siren was able to understand what he was saying. Craig wasn’t sure what was happening.

“How did you do that?” Craig asked.

“Do what?” The siren asked.

“Speak,” Craig said, “I mean...speak like me,” Craig said.

“It’s hard to explain, but when we look into a being’s eyes, we are able to speak the language that they speak, as well as being able to understand what they’re saying. I looked into your eyes in order for us to communicate. Now I can thank you properly for helping me, human,” the siren said.

Craig stared at the siren before sitting down, hugging his legs as he stared at the sand. “You’re welcome, but you better get going before someone sees, I heard people like to eat your tail so they will become immortal and get their wishes granted.”

“Oh? Is that why you humans murder my kind for generations?” The siren said, sounding a bit angry.

Craig flinched at the siren’s menacing tone, but stayed calm and tried to talk politely as to not upset the siren, and possibly have it eat him. “Well...yeah...but I bet they’re also doing it because you’re eating humans for their legs,” Craig said.

“Where did you get such information like that from?” The siren asked.

“From my uncle he’s a sailor, and told me he met sirens before,” Craig said.

“It’s lies, human. Yes, I eat your kind, but I eat anything that has some meat on their bones, of course...you seem too skinny, not enough meat,” the siren said.

“Does...that mean you won’t...e-eat me?” Craig asked.

“...I guess. I’m not going to waste my time and energy on a little shrimp like yourself,” the siren said, growling a bit.

Craig frowned, not sure if he liked this siren’s attitude, but kept quiet, “so...you don’t eat humans for their legs?”

“Why would I eat humans only for their legs?”

“So...you can get legs for yourself?”

“What nonsense you speak. Why on earth would I want legs like humans?”

“So you can walk on land?” Craig said.

“Hmph, why would I want to walk on the hot sand? I don’t want to be like a human, I do not want legs like one. Whatever your uncle has told you, those are all lies, fake, rumors, stories. No siren wants to eat humans for their legs, we have no reason for wanting legs,” the siren said.

“....Huh...so if that’s a lie...does that mean if someone ate your tail...they won’t be immortal?” Craig asked.

“Of course not. No human is stupid enough to get close to a siren and try to eat their tail, if anything, any human that is stupid enough to get close will end up being killed, just like that,” the siren said.

“....Does that mean you can’t grant wishes?” I asked.

“No...I don’t have such powers to grant a pathetic human’s wish,” the siren sighed, looking even more irritated.

“.....Glad I didn’t eat your tail then,” Craig sighed, looking down. If he had planned to eat the siren’s tail, then it would have been pointless. His wish would never come true, and his mother and baby sister would still be dead. Craig felt sad that there was no way of seeing his mother again.

“Why so sad, human? Disappointed that one of your pathetic wish isn’t going to be granted like you wanted?” The siren said, almost taunting the boy.

Craig frowned, glaring at the siren, “it’s not pathetic. I just wanted my mom to come back,” Craig said.

“Tch, come back? Too much of a mama’s boy and can’t wait for your mother to come back from her little trip or something?” The siren sighed.

“She’s dead,” Craig said, frowning. His heart was heavy as he said those words, and no matter how many times he told himself that his mother was gone, he’d only get more and more upset.

“.....I’m sorry,” the siren said. The apology actually sounded genuine, and when Craig looked back at the siren, he noticed that the siren was no longer scowling like before. “How long has it been since she died?”

“Not too long...it’s been three weeks,” Craig sighed.

“That recent, huh?” The siren asked.

“Uh huh...and I miss her. I know dad misses her too, everyone in my family misses her...but...I’m not sure about the people in town though. It’s like they don’t realize my mom is gone...and they’re acting as if...nothing happened, being all happy...not even caring that the shop my mom ran is closed, and barely talk about her, or even saying how much they missed her, or even putting flowers on her grave,” Craig suddenly felt tears in his eyes, “why is no one in this town feeling how I’m feeling? Why don’t they care that my mom is gone? Why is dad trying to move on and forget about mom? Why is everyone tell me to move on when...when I can’t...I don’t want to forget her...I don’t want to forget everything she has done for me...I don’t want to move on and forget about my mom,” Craig cried out.

“....Who said that you have to forget someone as important as your mother?” The siren asked.

“What?”

“Did someone actually tell you to forget her?”

“...Well...no,” Craig sniffled.

“Then...does your father forget about her?”

“No...he’d sometimes look at the locket that has mom’s picture in it whenever he’s thinking about mom,” Craig said.

“Does anyone in your family forget her existence? Are there no flowers on her grave?”

“....No...everyone in my family always talks about her and the amazing things she has done...and my dad always made sure to put fresh flowers on her grave every time he has time to visit her,” Craig said.

“Then...why are you saying that you’ll forget her if no one told you to forget her?” The siren asked.

“.....” Craig wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Tch, you humans sure like to make things complicated for yourself. Easily believing in something that isn’t true, just like how you thought eating a siren’s tail will give you powers or whatever you said it was. If you still remember your own mother, then it’s fine to move on from her death. Crying over it won’t bring her back, if anything, it just makes you weak,” the siren said.

Craig frowned, “have you ever lost your mom?”

“....No...though...I don’t know much about my own mother. For sirens, we stay with our mother until we’re old enough to hunt on our own, once we reach that age, our mothers will leave us, never to be seen again.”

“That sounds...kinda sad,” Craig said.

“To you...maybe...but to us...knowing that our mothers trust us to fend for ourselves in the world is their way of showing affection...as well as respect. Which is why...even when I have no idea where my mother is...I’ll always remember her and how she raised me,” the siren said, “so for you, human...if you care for you mother, then keep remembering her, keep her close to your heart...and only then will you be able to face the world and not cry all the time,” the siren said.

“.....” Craig stared at the waves, feeling something change in his heart. The siren was right, there was no point in crying or giving up everything Craig cared about just because his mother is gone. As long as he remembers her, as long as he remembers the things she has done for him, then Craig can just move forward, like his father is trying to do. Craig couldn’t mope around forever. “....Thank you,” Craig said.

“....” The siren doesn’t say anything, he simply stared at the human boy before grabbing the human’s face, the siren’s nails slightly digging into Craig’s cheeks, “such a strange human you are, I try to eat you not too long ago, then you helped get rid of that accursed trap that caught my tail, and now here you are...chatting with me...thanking me for advice that should be common knowledge,” the siren said.

Craig began sweating nervously as he stared at the siren’s eyes, seeing an expression that he doesn’t recognize. “Do you...not like that?”

“....No...it’s actually endearing...and a nice change of pace,” the siren suddenly smiled, the first smile that Craig has seen on the siren.

Craig blushed, and quickly pulled away, “please don’t squeeze my cheeks like that, I don’t like it,” Craig said.

“Oh? Why?” The siren asked leaning closer, smirking.

Craig blushed even more, and tried pushing the siren away, but the siren was much stronger, and was threatening the small boy by pinching both of his cheeks.

Suddenly, the two heard voices in the distance, and Craig immediately recognized the voices belonging to his aunt and uncle.

“Craig! Craig! Where are you!?”

“....” Craig looked at the siren, not sure what to do. He didn’t want to go right away, he actually wanted to hang out with the siren a little longer, but he knew he didn’t want his aunt and uncle worrying, “I need to go home, you better go home too,” Craig said.

“....I see,” the siren said.

“....Will I see you again?” Craig asked.

“Why do you want that?”

“....I don’t know…” Craig said, looking down, “I kinda like talking to you, that’s all,” Craig said.

“....” The siren stared at Craig before sighing, “I’ll see what I can do, but I won’t promise a thing. I don’t really like making promises, especially with humans,” the siren said.

Craig looked at him before smiling. Before Craig could say anything, his aunt continued to shout his name, and Craig knew he better hurry on getting back to them.

“Better get going...Craig,” the siren said. The siren then started crawling back towards the water.

“Wait...before you go….what’s your name?” Craig asked.

“....Tweek,” the siren said before jumping back into the sea, disappearing in the water.

Craig sighed, wishing he could talk to the siren a bit longer, but he didn’t want to keep his aunt and uncle waiting any longer. Craig quickly climbed over the rocks and boulders and carefully got back on the other side of the beach. Craig then started rushing towards where his aunt and uncle were.

When Craig’s aunt and uncle saw the young boy, the two rushed over and hugged him tightly, Craig hugging them back.

“Thank god, we thought we’d never find you. Where on earth were you?” Aunt Sheril asked, hugging the boy tightly.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, auntie,” Craig said, holding back tears.

“I’m sorry for what I said, Craig. I just didn’t want you hurting forever,” uncle Felix said.

“I know, uncle Felix,” Craig said, “but don’t worry...I’m done hurting...as long as I have mom in my memories, then I can move forward from here on out. I’m done crying and being sad.”

“Craig….” Aunt Sheril kissed the boy’s forehead, “you’re growing up so fast, your mother would have been proud.”

Craig smiled and hugged his aunt tightly. “Thank you for taking care of me.” The two smiled and hugged their nephew.

“....Craig, my boy...what happened to your shirt?”

“....” Craig doesn’t say, not sure what to say, he just looked out in the ocean, wondering if he’ll ever meet Tweek again.

* * *

It’s been a couple of months since that fateful day with the siren, and though Craig hasn’t seen the siren in a long time, he still hasn’t forgotten him, and always hoped to one day meet again.

For now, Craig and his father have been continuing in living their lives normally. Now that it was just the two of them, the two rely on the other to keep each other happy. For Craig, he tries everyday to bring a smile to his father’s face, and for Craig’s father, he does everything he can to raise his son.

However, as time passed, Craig’s father soon came to the realization that he can’t take care of his son on his own. Since he was busy with work and providing food and money for his young boy, he doesn’t have time to be with his son, he isn’t able to look after him, and he knew he couldn't rely on the neighbors and Craig’s aunts and uncles forever. Craig’s father wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t able to raise his son by himself.

So one day, while the two were walking around town, buying groceries, Craig’s father decided to ask his son a very important question.

“Craig,” Craig’s father said.

“Hm?” Craig looked up at his father.

“You know...we’ve been doing quite well over the past few months now, haven’t we?” Craig’s father smiled.

“Uh huh,” Craig said, looking around, but still listening to his father.

“Well...as you know...I can’t always be there for you, not when I’m busy with my delivers and how it takes me days to come back home,” Craig’s father said.

“I know…” Craig said.

“And I know you don’t like being by yourself or staying with one of the neighbors for a couple of days,” Craig’s father said.

“Uh huh…” Craig looked at his father, wondering where he was getting at.

“...What I’m trying to say, Craig, is that...maybe...it’s about time we get you a new mother,” Craig’s father said.

Craig stopped walking, pulling his hand away from his father’s hand, “what?”

Craig’s father sighed, “don’t get me wrong, I loved your mother, and I still do, she’ll always be in my heart, but I don’t think you should grow up without a mother, not when you’re still so young, so I thought...that maybe...you’re up to the idea of having a new mother?”

“A new mom?” Craig asked.

“Yes, but don’t worry, she won’t replace your mother, she’ll just be there to keep the house clean and take care of you while I’m not around,” Craig’s father said.

“....But...what if my new mom isn’t...nice? Like in Cinderella or Snow White?” Craig said.

Craig’s father smiled, “those are just stories, not all stepmothers are like that, Craig.”

“Still...I don’t know how mom would feel about you marrying a new lady and have her be my new mom,” Craig said, crossing his arms.

Craig’s father sighed, “I’m sure your mother doesn’t want to see you all alone while I’m gone...and you have to realize Craig...I’m not going to be around often, and I just want what’s best for you, for us. I’m getting old, Craig...and I’m lonely...aren’t you lonely too?”

“No...I have you, remember? We can keep each other company,” Craig said, hugging his father’s leg.

“Oh Craig, that’s not what I meant. I know I’ll always have you with me, but when we’re not together, won’t you feel lonely?” Craig’s father asked.

“....I guess...I do feel a little lonely when you’re gone for a few days…”

Craig’s father smiled before hugging his son, “I know I’m asking you a lot, which is why I’m asking you. Won’t our lives be a little happier if we have a new mom in the house?”

“....” Before Criag could say anything, he noticed that his mother’s old shop had someone inside. Panicking, Craig quickly rushed towards the shop, wondering what was happening to his mother’s shop.

“Craig! Wait!” Craig’s father ran after his son, who has already made his way inside the shop.

Once Craig was inside, he was surprised to see Mrs. Heathen, a woman who used to work with Craig’s mother, and a woman he doesn’t recognize.

“This was Laura’s old sewing machine, of course, she used to make most of her clothes by hand, even if it took a lot of time,” Mrs. Heathen said.

“Hm...a bit old...but I guess I’ll make do with what’s here,” the woman said. The woman touched the sewing machine, examining it. Craig did not like that one bit.

“Don’t touch mom’s sewing machine!” Craig exclaimed.

The two women were startled by the little boy, and soon turned their attention towards him.

“Craig, I didn’t see you there,” Mrs. Heathen said, looking quite surprised.

“Whose little boy is this?” The woman asked.

“He’s Laura’s kid, the one I mentioned briefly with you over the phone?”

“Oh right, I forgot you told me that Laura had a child,” the woman said.

Craig frowned, “who are you? Why are you in mom’s shop?” Craig asked, crossing his arms.

“Craig! There you are!” Craig’s father exclaimed as he rushed towards his son, “don’t run off like that, what would happen if you got hurt?”

“Dad! They’re doing something to mom’s shop!” Craig exclaimed as he grabbed his father’s arm.

“What? What’s going on here?” Craig’s father asked as he finally noticed the two woman.

“Thomas, don’t you remember? I told you that someone has bought your wife’s old shop, and will be taking over the business. I did left you a message,” Mrs. Heathen said.

“I remember, Mrs. Heathen, but I don’t remember giving you my consent yet. I’ve told you that I’m still unsure about selling my wife’s shop, and you’ve already sold it to someone behind my back?” Craig’s father was starting to get angry.

“It’s been months Thomas, and it’s a shame to see this place collecting dust and cobwebs,” Mrs. Heathen said.

“Mrs. Heathen, as much as I appreciate how much you care about this place, I technically own it, it has my name on it, and I’m really not looking to sell it at the moment,” Craig’s father sighed, he then started turning his attention to the other woman, “ma’am, I’m very sorry, but this place is not for….” When Craig’s father finally got a good look at the woman, his heart skipped a beat, “...sell.”

When Craig’s father saw the woman, he was stunned by how beautiful the woman was. Her long blonde hair, her lovely blue eyes, how pink her lips were, and how flawless her skin was. Everything about this woman was beautiful, but the one thing that Craig’s father couldn’t help but notice was how the woman almost looked like his wife, even the hairstyle is quite similar, the only difference is probably the bangs and how the woman seemed much taller than his wife.

The woman stared at Craig’s father before smiling, “that’s too bad, I was looking forward to buying old Laura’s shop and continuing her little business,” the woman said.

“Wait...you know...Laura?” Craig’s father asked.

The woman smiled, “she and I used to be friends when we were young, we grew up together,” the woman said.

“Then how come you weren’t at mom’s funeral, or visited her on her birthdays?” Craig frowned.

The woman smiled before crouching down, “it’s because I lived far away, young man, and after both your mother and I grew up, we’ve just...lost contact of each other. If I had known about your mother’s death much sooner, I would have definitely come to the funeral,” the woman then pinched Craig’s right cheek, hard, “I miss her so dearly, and I thought I’d be close to her again if I took over her shop and moved to this lovely island.” The woman then stood up, letting Craig’s cheek go. Craig rubbed his cheek, glaring at the woman.

“So...you’ve come all the way here...to just...continue Laura’s work?” Craig’s father asked.

“Of course! I would never change a thing here. Both Laura and I were quite good at making clothes, though of course, Laura was much better at it than I was, but I thought that now she’s gone...I could honor her memories by continuing her work for her. After all...I love dearly...and it would be a shame to see this place fall apart, don’t you agree...Mr….”

“I-I’m Thomas. Thomas Tucker,” Craig’s father said.

The woman smiled, “I’m Lola, it’s nice to finally meet the man that swooped Laura off her feet,” Lola giggled.

The two started to laugh, and Craig just stared at them, feeling confused. He did not like what he was seeing, or how his father was looking at this woman that was trying to buy his mother’s shop.

“Dad...tell the lady she can’t have mom’s shop,” Craig said.

“Craig, be polite,” Craig’s father said.

“It’s alright, Mr. Tucker. I understand how he’s feeling,” Lola said. She crouched down to look at Craig, and Craig quickly covered his cheeks so that she wouldn’t be able to pinch them like before, “Craig, I know it’s hard seeing your mother’s shop being sold, but just know, I won’t change a thing. I’m only continuing your mother’s work here, I would never do anything that makes you feel uneasy. I know it’s a big change, but I’m only doing what’s best for your mother,” Lola said.

Craig frowned, “how would you know what’s best for mom, lady?”

“Craig!”

“It’s alright, kids don’t like change,” Lola smiled, looking at Craig’s father. “Still...if you’re not going to sell me this place, then I guess I have no choice but to move back home. I hope it won’t cost too much to cancel the movers in the last second…”

“....W-wait,” Craig’s father said, “um...actually...I think I might reconsider...letting you have this old shop.”

“Dad!” Craig exclaimed, but his father won’t listen.

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Well...you are Laura’s friend, and it would be a shame to see this place fall apart.”

Lola giggled, “you’re a sweet man, Mr. Tucker...actually...may I call you...Thomas?”

Craig’s father began blushing, and Craig’s eyes widen when he sees something in his father’s eyes. “I don’t mind….but uh...would it be too forward of me to ask you to join me for a cup of coffee sometimes?”

Lola giggled, “it’s a date.”

At that moment, Craig watched his father falling in love with a woman, and everything around Craig began to change.

At first, Craig’s father would go out most nights with Lola, either go dancing, grab a couple of drinks, or even walking on the beach under the moonlight. There have been times when Craig’s father would stay over at Lola’s home for the night, causing Craig to worry when his father didn’t come home until morning.

At first, Craig was against this, he didn’t like the fact that his father was falling for a woman who wasn’t his mother, he didn’t like how the woman suddenly forced herself into his and his father’s life like that, or the fact that the woman was taking over his mother’s shop. Craig didn’t like how everyone seemed to love the new seamstress, saying that her clothes were very beautiful and well-made, far different from Craig’s mother’s clothes. That only made Craig’s blood boil even more.

However, as time continued on, and Craig’s father and Lola continued to date, Craig couldn’t help but notice how happy his father has become. Craig’s father hasn’t been happy ever since his wife died, but being with Lola, he’s been smiling more, he’s been more energetic, and most of all, he’s in love.

Seeing his father like this, Craig was conflicted with so many emotions. On one hand, he wanted his father happy, but on the other, he was worried that if his father continued to be with Lola, would his father soon forget his mother? Craig was scared.

So one night, as Craig and his father were having dinner, just the two of them, he noticed how his father was looking nervous the entire time. Craig stopped eating his chicken and turned to look at his father, wondering what he was doing.

“What’s wrong?” Craig asked.

“Hm? Oh...nothing,” Craig’s father said.

“....You’re acting weird, dad,” Craig said.

“....” Craig’s father sighed before turning his full attention towards his son, “son...I have something to tell you.”

“Okay, what is it?” Craig asked, looking at his father.

“....As you know...I’ve been dating Lola for quite some time now, and she’s starting to become part of our lives,” Craig’s father started.

Craig frowned, “more like she’s being a part of your life, dad. She doesn’t even bother trying to get to know me,” Craig crossed his arms.

Craig’s father sighed, “only because you haven’t been letting her get to know you, Craig.”

Craig frowned and crossed his arms, “whatever. Go straight to the point already.”

Craig’s father sighed, “Craig….I’m thinking of asking Lola to marry me.”

Craig’s eyes widened, “what!?”

“I know, this is a huge step, but Craig….I’m in love.”

“How can you do that to mom!?” Craig exclaimed, standing up.

“Craig, just because I’m planning on marrying Lola doesn’t mean I’m going to forget about your mother,” Craig’s father said.

“You even thinking of marrying that lady is the first step of you forgetting about mom! That lady is taking you away from me, she’s taken over mom’s shop, and she’s making everyone forget about mom! Why can’t you see that!?”

“Craig, I will not be talked to like that. I know I’m asking you a lot here, but I’m still your father and I’m the one that makes the rules here. I will not let you talk about Lola like that, you hear me?” Craig’s father exclaimed.

“....” Craig stared at his father before running out of the house.

“Craig!” Craig’s father called out for him.

Craig ran and ran, avoiding everything and everyone in front of him, and just kept running. Craig wasn’t sure where he was running, but wherever he ended up being would be better than being in that house, listening to his father saying how he was planning on marrying a woman that suddenly appeared in their lives. Craig couldn’t believe how his father was quickly getting over his mother.

Craig soon found himself down at the beach, but because it was late, he could barely see a thing, and had to rely on the moonlight. Craig sighed as he looked around, wondering what he was going to do now. He didn’t want to go back home, but he wasn’t sure where to go. Craig sniffled as walked around the beach, listening to the waves, and kicking sand and pebbles that were on the ground.

Suddenly, Craig noticed a wet shirt on the beach, the shirt looked familiar, very familiar. Craig crouched down and picked the shirt up, his eyes widened when he saw the familiar logo design on the front. Even if it was hard to see the shirt clearly, the moonlight was able to show Craig that the shirt he was holding was his, or used to be his before he gave it to...Tweek.

“Well if it isn’t the strange little human,” a familiar voice startled him.

Craig looked up and saw a shadowy figure a few feet in front of him. Though Craig wasn’t able to make out who the person was, he could recognize the voice immediately.

“It’s you,” Craig said.

“....” The siren crawled towards the moonlight, revealing himself. “It’s been awhile, Craig...you haven’t changed much.”

“It’s only been a few months…” Craig muttered, but he did notice that the siren’s fins on his arms seem larger than the last time he saw him, and the scales on his tail were an even more vibrant green, they almost sparkle underneath the moonlight.

“Right...you humans have a different growth span,” the siren sighed. The siren sat on the sand, staring up at the moon.

“What are you doing here? I thought I would never see you again,” Craig said.

“I made a promise with you, didn’t I?”

“But...you said that you don’t like to keep promises,” Craig said.

“Yes...well...I figured you want that back,” the siren said as he pointed to the wet shirt in Craig’s hand.

“You kept it this entire time?” Craig asked.

“Well where else am I supposed to put it? I wasn’t going to litter the ocean now, was I? Besides...I’d figure you’d want your shirt back,” the siren said.

“So you came all the way back here...just to give me back my shirt?” Craig asked.

The siren scowled, but Craig can see that the siren looked slightly embarrassed, “I...just happened to be swimming nearby, and I couldn’t help but think about you and how you probably missed your dumb shirt, so I came over to bring it back, that’s all,” the siren said.

“....Well thanks, I guess,” Craig sighed as he sat down next to the siren, staring at the dark ocean waves.

“....You seem upset. More so than the last time I saw you. What’s wrong this time?” The siren asked.

“....My dad is planning on marrying a new woman,” Craig said.

“Oh? And you don’t like your father’s new...mate?”

Craig frowned, “don’t call her that! She’s not my dad’s new mate...and she definitely isn’t going to be my new mom or dad’s new wife,” Craig said.

“But is that really a choice you can make here? Isn’t this more of your father’s choice?”

“.....” Craig sighed as he hugged his legs, “I don’t know why dad wants to even marry her...did he forget about mom?”

“No one forgets their first mate, Craig,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “will you stop saying mate? It’s weird,” Craig sighed.

“I’m just saying. Even if your father found a new love...he’ll never forget his first. Besides...don’t you want your father to be happy? Don’t you want him to love again?”

“....I do want him happy...and he’s been getting better now that he’s with...Lola...but...I don’t know about her, I’m not even sure if she’s the right woman for dad! She’s not….she’s not…”

“....She’s not your mother?”

“....Yeah,” Craig sighed.

“I may not know much about human parents, but I do know that you’re supposed to trust your parents when they make important decisions in their lives, as well as yours. I trusted my parents when it was time for me to hunt and provide for myself, and I’ve been doing well, so maybe...you should trust your father and his decision in marrying this woman,” the siren said.

“....What if she’s not who my dad thinks she is? What if she’s a bad woman? What if she’s only using my dad?”

“....You’ll never know unless you see it yourself,” Tweek said.

“.....I’m scared,” Craig said.

“....We’re all scared, but we can’t let our fears get in the way of living. I know you don’t like it, and you might even want to run from your problems, but you must face them head on if you are to live how you want to live. You want your father to be happy? Then let him do what he wants, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept the new changes right away, you can just take it slowly, or maybe just consider this new woman as someone who’s just living in your home. You don’t need to consider her your new mother, just consider her as someone that makes your father happy.”

“.....” Craig sighed, hating how the siren was right, “okay….okay….I’ll do it.”

“.....Craig...if you ever feel like you’re unsure or no longer feel safe...you can always-”

“Craig! Craig! Where are you!”

“...That’s dad,” Craig said.

“....I better get going,” Tweek sighed, he started crawling back to the water.

“Wait, what was it you were going to say?” Craig asked.

“....It’s not important...at least...not now,” Tweek said. He jumped back into the water, and disappeared beneath the waves.

Once Tweek was gone, Craig sighed and started walking towards where his father is, while holding the wet shirt with him. Once Craig’s father saw his son, he rushed over, picked his son up, and hugged him.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m asking you a lot here, and all I want is for you to be happy,” Craig’s father said, tears in his eyes, “I just want us both to be happy, Craig.”

“....Does Lola really make you that happy, dad?” Craig asked.

“.....” Craig’s father hugged his son rightly, “she does...she makes me happy. I haven’t been happy ever since your mother died, but when I’m with Lola...it feels as if your mother is right next to me.”

“.....Okay,” Craig said.

“Hm?”

“I said….okay...you can marry Lola...but...I’m not going to call her mom that quickly,” Craig said.

“Craig…” Craig’s father looked at his son, tears in his eyes, “thank you,” Craig’s father said as he kissed his son on the head, “I promise, nothing won’t change, and you don’t have to accept Lola as your mother right away, but I promise...we’ll all be happy from now on.”

“....” Craig stared at his father, tears in his eyes, he hugged him tightly, listening to the waves in the distance.

If his father was happy, then he was happy. That’s all he wanted.

So weeks after that night, Craig’s father and Lola were married. It took some time for Craig to get used to having Lola moving into their home and changing a few things around the house, but seeing his father happy each and everyday, then Craig was fine with having Lola in their lives.

Of course, Craig still wasn’t sure about Lola, even if she was living in their home, and Craig was thankful that he didn’t have to be left alone with Lola in the first two weeks of their marriage, but the one thing that Craig couldn’t help but notice was how Lola seemed uncomfortable whenever she and Craig were left alone in one room for even more than five minutes. Whenever the two were alone together, Lola wouldn’t even try to acknowledge Craig, she wouldn’t talk to him, she wouldn’t even look at him. Lola would simply ignore Craig and do whatever she had with her, either checking her nails, reading a book, or even simply walking out of the room to watch TV. The only time Lola would look energetic is when Craig’s father comes back home, then she becomes quite a chatterbox.

This little detail did not go by Craig unnoticed, he remembered that during their wedding, Lola actually made sure that all the children that were attending would be sat far far away from where she sat, even insisting that the kids’ table be placed five feet away from the adults’ table. Craig also noticed how Lola seemed to tense up or looked annoyed when his younger cousins ran around near her, almost knocking into her.

Craig wasn’t sure how his father didn’t notice that, but Craig kept quiet as to not upset his father. Still, Craig couldn’t help but wonder if Lola doesn’t like children. It would explain why she never made any attempts to talk to Craig or even try to be his new mother. All these thoughts really upset Craig.

However, things would only get more complicated when Craig’s father would soon be leaving home to do his deliveries, meaning his father would be gone for a few days, which also meant that Craig and Lola will be home alone together during those few days.

“Do you have to go?” Craig asked, hugging his father’s leg.

“I know it’s hard, Craig, but this might be your chance to get close to Lola,” Craig’s father smiled.

Craig frowned, “I don’t wanna,” Craig said.

“Now Craig, you promised you’d try harder and try to get along with Lola,” Craig’s father said.

Craig wanted to tell his father that Lola doesn’t like kids, but he kept his mouth shut and just tugged on his father’s arm, not wanting him to go.

“Please don’t go,” Craig said.

Craig’s father smiled, “how about this? When I come back...why don’t I bring back something cool for you? Hm?”

“Really?” Craig asked, “like what?”

“Something I know you never seen before, something that I know you’ll like,” Craig’s father smiled.

“....Well...okay,” Craig smiled.

“Good,” Craig’s father ruffled his son’s head, “now...promise you’ll at least try to get along with Lola, okay?”

“....Okay,” Craig sighed.

“Good, I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Craig’s father patted his son’s back and soon turned his attention to Lola, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, sweetie,” Lola smiled as she kissed Craig’s father on the lips.

Craig’s father soon got on his ship, he turned towards his son and wife, and waved, “I’ll be back soon!” Craig’s father said before setting off.

“Bye dad!” Craig called out, waving his father goodbye.

Once Craig’s father was gone, it was now just Lola and Craig, standing on the beach together. Craig sighed, no longer able to see his father, he turned towards Lola, who was now taking out her cellphone from her purse.

“Um….I guess it’s just you and me for a few days,” Craig said.

“....Tch,” Lola looked at Craig for a second before rolling her eyes and turning her back towards him. “Hey, it’s me,” Lola began talking to whoever she was calling, “yeah, he’s gone, but I won’t be alone. I’m stuck with his kid. Thank god I don’t have to do any cooking, not that my hubby’s cooking is any better,” Lola giggled as she started walking away.

“....” Craig frowned. He was confused as to who Lola was talking on her phone, while at the same time, wondered why Lola was talking about his dad like that. Craig started following Lola close behind, listening carefully to what Lola was saying.

“Don’t get me wrong, the place is nice, but after like...the first two days, it gets so boring. They don’t even have a juice bar here, I actually had to make my own juice, I almost broke my nail,” Lola complained.

Craig frowned. He did remember Lola wanting juice, but she didn’t actually make it, she actually had Craig’s father make it for her since she was worried about breaking her nails.

“Oh and don’t get me started on the shop I took from Laura, how in the world could she have let that dump look so awful! I’ve also seen some of her dresses, just hideous. The people here were so happy when I came along, they loved my dresses, they must have been embarrassed when they had to wear her dresses when she was still alive,” Lola said.

“...” Craig stopped and glared at this woman. She just openly insulted his mother, right in front of him. Craig started to get angry, he was not going to let this woman insult his home, his father, or his mother. “Why are you saying that!?” Craig shouted.

Lola turned, looking surprised, “oh shit, I forgot about the kid. I was kinda hoping he wouldn’t understand me,” Lola sighed, “I don’t know how old he is, like...five or something?”

Craig glared at her, “I’m ten, and I’m not going to stand here and let you insult my mom like that you...you...witch!” Craig shouted, “I’m going to make sure to tell my dad what you said!”

“....Hey...I’m going to call you later, I have to deal with a brat,” Lola hung up on her call and walked towards Craig, she crouched and smiled at the boy, “oh Craig…” She suddenly pushed Craig until he fell, Craig was shocked and looked at the woman in front of him, “listen here, as long as your daddy likes me, you ain’t going to say anything to him, got it?”

Craig picked himself back up and stared at the woman, “he won’t like you once I tell him, then you’re going to leave my house and get out of my mom’s shop!” Craig said.

Lola chuckled, “oh please. Your father won’t believe you. He’ll listen to me, and if I had it my way, I’d send your little butt far far away.”

Craig glared at her, “if you don’t like me so much or even like my dad like you say you do, then why did you marry him?”

“To show that bitch of a mother of yours to never mess with me again,” Lola said.

“...What?”

“You’re way too young to understand,” Lola sighed.

“Why do you not like my mom? I thought you said that you and her were friends,” Craig said.

“Friends? Oh please! As if I’d be friends with that little cheat! She stole all the awards I should have gotten when we were young, dated the boy I liked in high school, always was a show off to the teachers, and always got everything she wanted! So now I’m taking everything she used to have, and I bet she’s crying in her grave,” Lola said.

Craig began trembling, “you’re an awful lady! I’ll make sure my dad knows about what you said! I’ll make sure you get what’s coming to you!” Craig shouted.

“Yeah? Well until your father comes home, it’s just you and me, and from how I see it, I’m bigger and older than you, so you’ll have to do as I say, and what I want you to do right now is to go to your room and not bug me for the rest of the day,” Lola said.

“I’m not going to listen to you,” Craig frowned.

Before Craig knew it, Lola suddenly slapped the young boy across the face. Craig was surprised by the sudden slap, and started to cry, he touched his cheek and stared at the woman in shock.

“Don’t fucking test me, brat. Otherwise, you’re sleeping outside tonight. Now get inside and go to your fucking room. No dinner for you,” Lola said.

“....” Afraid to get slapped again, Craig got up and started heading home quietly, doing what Lola told him to do.

Once Craig was home and in his room, he quietly got on his bed, feeling afraid. He’s never been slapped before, and the way Lola hit him terrified the little boy. Craig wasn’t sure what to do, all he could do was hope and pray that his father will return home soon.

After four days of being with this dreadful woman, Craig continued to wait for his father to get back, while also avoiding Lola as best as he could. There were times when he would hear Lola talking bad about his parents, there was even a time when he heard Lola flirting with someone she brought home. Craig ignored it, and tried to avoid her, but there will be times when Lola would get angry and put all her aggression on the little boy, locking him outside, forcing him to stay at one of his neighbor’s house for the night, not letting him eat dinner, causing him to go hungry while he slept, and then there were the occasional beatings that Craig would receive for no reason. Lola’s excuse would be that he looked too much like his mother, or that she was just tired of seeing his face.

Craig has been miserable for the past few days, he tried to tell everyone in town about Lola, hoping they’d help, but they wouldn’t do anything, they would just tell Craig that Lola was probably stressed, that Craig was just making things up since he wasn’t accepting Lola as his new mother, that Craig needed to grow up and stop making Lola look like a bad guy.

Craig was confused as to why everyone was treating him like this, it wasn’t until he realized that no one in town actually cared about him or his family, they only cared about themselves. The reason no one believed Craig was because Lola was the only one in town that can make high quality clothing that was more convenient for them. Craig realized that everyone was so nice to him before was because his mother used to make lovely clothing for the town at a reasonable price, but now that she’s gone, his father is rarely home, and many laws don’t really apply to the island much since it was isolated from big cities and the mainland, no one cared about Craig or his problem. All they cared about was themselves.

Craig started getting depressed these past few days, and only wished for his father to come home quickly and make him better, however, on one stormy night, things would change.

As it was raining heavily outside, Craig heard a loud knocking at the door. Lola was sleeping on the couch, she had a headache from drinking the night before. Instead of getting up and answering the door, she yelled at Craig to open it.

“Get the door, brat! I’m trying to sleep!” Lola shouted.

“....” Craig sighed before rushing towards the door, wondering who it could be at this hour. “Uncle Felix?” Craig was surprised to see his uncle standing in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

“...Craig…” Uncle Felix had a dreaded look on his face, he crouched down and held the boy’s hand, “Craig…”

“Uncle Felix?” Craig looked at his uncle, confused and worried.

“...Your father...he’s….he’s….” Uncle Felix began to cry.

At that moment, Craig’s heart shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

Craig’s father’s ship was found by uncle Felix and his crew when they were fishing. Uncle Felix desperately searched everywhere for Craig’s father, only to find his lifeless corpse on a small deserted island a few kilometers from where the ship was. It seemed that Craig’s father was trying to sail through the storm, but the waves were too large for him to handle, causing his ship to tilt over. Craig’s father fell into the water, he tried to swim, but the waves were too rapid, dunking his head down. In the end, Craig’s father drowned from all the salt water in his lungs.

The only thing that uncle Felix was able to find on that ship was a beautiful seashell, a seashell that Craig has never seen before. Uncle Felix handed the seashell while everyone was mourning for Craig’s father at his funeral, Craig broke down as he held the seashell close to his chest.

In the end, Craig’s life began to change. Since Lola was his mother, he was forced to live with her, even if he desperately begged his uncles and aunts to take him, but there was nothing they could do.

Uncle Felix and aunt Sheril did believe Craig when he told them about his aunt, but without proof, and the fact that none of the neighbors were willing to tell the truth, there was nothing they could do. They tried getting Lola checked by police, but they couldn’t find anything. Craig was stuck with Lola for who knows how long.

Lola started becoming more and more distressed now that her husband was gone, she drank more, was more abusive towards Craig, and even left the house a mess. Lola even started hurting Craig outside, right in front of neighbors, but because everyone didn’t want to get involved, they just ignored it, thinking nothing of it, and enjoying the new clothes they bought from Lola.

Craig became miserable. He barely ate anything, he’d stay up all night just to fend for himself just in case Lola ever barged into his room, he’d always hide in his room whenever Lola was home, and he’d cry everyday. There were times when even Craig couldn’t take the pain anymore, he thought of killing himself in order to escape the pain, but no matter how close he was, he either couldn’t do it, or someone stopped him just in time.

“You little shit! How dare you kill yourself!? You have any idea how bad that will make me look if someone knew what you did!? I’ll be ruined!” Lola shouted, “god! If you want to die so badly, couldn’t you do it in a better way and out of sight! Fuck, you’re even a failure at killing yourself. What a fucking disappointment you are. It’s a good thing your parents died, they’d probably kill themselves if they saw how much of a failure their son is!”

“....” Craig felt empty inside.

All the emotional and physical abuse made the young boy more and more depressed, he wanted to leave, he wanted to escape, but where was a ten year old boy supposed to go? He had no ship, no one was going to help him, and he wasn’t sure how to reach his aunts and uncles, especially when Lola forced him to cut all contact with them.

Craig felt trapped in his own hellhole.

One day, Lola pushed Craig out the door, telling him that she was expecting someone to come by that day, and she didn’t want him around.

“If I see you come back inside, I’ll break your arm, got it?”

“.....” Craig didn’t say anything, staying quiet. He knew if he kept quiet, there was a better chance that Lola won’t hit him.

Once Lola slammed the door, Craig slowly got up and started walking in town. Everyone stared at the boy, feeling pity for him since he was walking around with a torn up shirt, messy hair, and no shoes. He had bruises all over his legs and arms, and if you looked closely, you could see that the boy was limping.

“Poor boy,” someone said.

“It must be hard on him, hm?”

“Still...in a way...he deserved it for being such a terrible stepson to his stepmother.”

“What a pitiful kid he is.”

“....” Craig tried to block out the voices around him, he started to walk faster and faster until he began running. Craig ran and ran, tears in his eyes. His feet started to hurt, even began to bleed from the rocks and sticks on the ground, but Craig didn’t care, he kept running and running until he reached a cliff. “....” Looking below, Craig could see the ocean, large and deep. His tears fell from his eyes and fell into the water below.

Craig wondered if it’ll all end if he were to jump off the cliff.

“......” Craig closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

For Craig, there was nothing left in the world. Both his parents were gone, he never got to see his baby sister, his aunts and uncles can’t do anything, and everyone in town didn’t actually care. For Craig, there was no hope in moving on, he couldn’t keep going.

Sighing, Craig stood up, looked down at the dark blue ocean before stepping closer and closer to the edge. His heart was racing, his palms were sweaty, and Craig began to tremble in fear, but he knew that if he didn’t do this, he’d be stuck with that woman until who knows how long it’ll be till she killed the poor boy.

So without another thought, Craig jumped.

The water was cold, but Craig didn’t mind it. He looked up, watching the light get dimmer and dimmer as he sank deeper into the water. All the air slowly escaped from Craig’s lungs, they now were filled with salt water. As Craig sank deeper into the ocean, he wondered if he’ll meet his parents soon, he wondered if they’ll be sad at what Craig did, he wondered if he’ll feel happy again.

Suddenly, Craig felt a hand grabbing his arm, Craig tried to see who it was, but his vision was dark. He felt a tug on his arm before he was being pulled back up. Craig struggled to get out of the person’s grasp, but they had a firm grip on him. Craig had no choice but to be pulled back up to the surface.

Once Craig was safely back on land, Craig began coughing. Craig panted as he tried to breathe, there were tears in his eyes, and his entire body began to hurt. When Craig looked up at the person who saved him, he was surprised to see Tweek.

“Y-you…” Craig muttered.

“What on earth were you doing? What happened!?” Tweek exclaimed, looking at the boy with a look of concern.

“....Nnngg…..nnggg…” Craig began trembling as clenched his fist, he then lunged at the siren, hitting him in the chest, “why did you save me! Why!? You should have just left me alone! Why did you have to come and save me!?” Craig shouted, he kept hitting at the siren’s chest, not that it did much as Tweek held him back, looking at him. Craig finally stopped and just cried onto the siren’s chest, “I don’t want to be here anymore...I want to see mom and dad,” Craig sniffled.

“....So you’d rather give up on life just to see them?” Tweek asked.

“It’s better that way,” Craig said, “I have nothing left here...I don’t belong here anymore….I don’t have anyone,” Craig said.

“....Are you a fucking idiot!?” Tweek shouted, pushing the boy off of him.

Craig stared at him in shock, “s-screw you! You’ve been nothing but a jerk since I met you! If you’re going to be mean to me, then just leave me alone!” Craig exclaimed.

“Mean? Mean!? I let you live, I saved you, I helped you whenever you were crying like a child,” Tweek said.

“I am a child!” Craig shouted, “was that not clear?”

“You may have a body and mind of a child, but in this world...you have to grow up sooner or later, and right now...you need to grow up. Would your parents even accept you after what you tried to do? Would you finally be happy if you just sank to the bottom?” Tweek exclaimed, “you’re not the only one here who has it bad, Craig. You think your life is bad? Then what about others? Those who don’t have anything to eat? Those who are sick and don’t have medicine? Those who are alone? Those who have watched their friends and family be slaughtered by humans...and there was nothing they could do about it?” Tweek said, tears in his eyes.

Craig’s eyes widened, he stared at the siren for a minute, surprised by what he was hearing. He was surprised to see the siren crying in front of him.

“You’re not the only one who’s alone, Craig, but at least I don’t give up trying to live. I face my problems, that’s what my parents would have wanted, and I’m sure that’s what yours wanted as well,” Tweek said.

“....”

The two sat there in silence. Neither one of them said a word. The only sounds that could be heard were the waves and seagulls that flew above them.

Just then, the two hear voices in the distance, and Craig realized that everyone from town were currently looking for him. He guessed that since he ran earlier, everyone started to look for him since they knew that he was planning to kill himself, and not wanting their home to be seen as a place where a child committed suicide on the media, the town searched frantically for the small boy.

“Tch...if you want to give up so badly, go ahead...I won’t stop you, but just know...I’ll be disappointed, especially when I thought you were far stronger than that,” Tweek said, he flopped to his stomach and started crawling back towards the ocean.

“Craig! Craig! Where are you!?”

“Craig! Come out! Let’s talk about this!”

“Craig, come back to your mama, I’m sorry for being harsh on you! Let’s go home and talk about this! Craig!”

Craig’s eyes widened when he heard Lola’s voice, and he trembled in fear, he turned towards the siren, seeing him about to go into the water. Without thinking, Craig reached over and grabbed the siren’s tail, preventing him from going into the water.

“Hey!”

“Please...please...take me with you,” Craig said, tears falling from his eyes.

“What? Are you insane? I’m not taking you with me! I don’t want to be responsible for taking care of a human child!” Tweek exclaimed.

“Please…” Craig looked at the siren, “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I don’t want to be trap here anymore. Please...take me with you,” Craig begged.

“Craig! Come here right now you brat! You’re making me look bad!” Lola shouted in the distance.

“.....” Tweek stared at the small child, feeling something in his chest. Tweek looked at the boy before looking back at the water. A part of him should just leave the boy, after all, he wasn’t qualified to taking care of a small human child, but a part of him didn’t actually want to leave the boy alone.

“You’re lonely, right?” Craig suddenly said.

“....” Tweek looked at Craig.

“Then...you won’t be lonely if I’m with you, both of us won’t have to be lonely if we have each other. We can be together...I’ll do whatever you say, just please...don’t leave me here to die,” Craig begged, hugging the siren’s tail tightly.

“.....” Tweek stared a the boy, he listened to the shouting in the distance, and the feeling in his chest was overwhelming. Before Tweek knew it, he grabbed the boy’s hand and started pulling him towards him, “don’t make me regret this decision, Craig,” Tweek said. Craig’s eyes widened as his tears stopped falling, he nodded his head. “Alright, hold on tight, and hold your breath,” Tweek said.

Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek’s waist, and the two started going into the water together. When Craig heard everyone in the distance getting closer and closer, he tensed up, fearing what would happen.

“Forget them. Forget the bad memories, Craig. From now on...let’s make good ones instead,” Tweek whispered.

“.....Okay,” Craig said as he held onto Tweek tightly. As Tweek began to dive down, Craig held his breath and let Tweek take him away from his home.

By the time the town reached the beach where Craig and Tweek just were, they saw nothing and no one. No sign of the little boy, no sign of anyone. There was nothing but the ocean surrounding them.

This would be the beginning of Craig’s adventure with Tweek. This would be the beginning of Craig’s new life.


	2. Trouble in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I finally updated this story. I'm so sorry for keeping you guys waiting in anticipation for the next chapter. I've been busy and also I had a bunch of other ideas that I wanted to write immediately, or else I was going to forget them, and I ended up focusing on other stories instead of this one. So sorry. But hey, now that The Lonely Astronaut and Heroes and Villains have been completed recently, I can now focus on this story, as well as the Bucket List, and maybe another multi-chapter story. (we'll see).
> 
> So yeah, hope you enjoy the update, and look forward to more in the near future! Happy readings!

Somewhere in the pacific, there was a little island. It is unknown by the world, not even placed on the maps. No one knows about the island, no one...except for two beings.

“Come on...come on…” A young boy, around twelve years old, crouched behind a few bushes, watching carefully at a wild pig, who was sniffing at the ground. The boy waited patiently for the pig to get near the trap he had made. The pig was getting closer and closer to the pile of bananas that the boy had placed there, and with each step, the boy’s grip on the rope tightened. “Almost...almost…” The pig finally stepped on the hidden net underneath it, it sniffed at the bananas before eating them, unaware of the boy. “Gotcha!” The boy shouted as he pulled the rope and the net lifted the pig up, trapping it.

The boy came out of the bushes and rushed towards the pig, the pig squealed angrily, wiggling in the net, trying its best to escape. Once the boy reached the pig, he took out what appeared to be a knife made of stone tied to a handle made of wood.

“....Sorry,” the boy said before piercing the pig with the knife. 

The pig’s squealing soon died down and the pig began to bleed out as the boy slit the pig’s neck. The boy stepped back, watching the blood dripping out of the pig. He waited for a bit until all of the pig’s blood had bled out of the body. Once the blood was out, the boy cut the pig out of the net and carried the pig away. The boy soon reached the beach, where he camped. Once the boy placed the dead pig down, he quickly got to work on the fire. Once the fire was up, he grabbed his knife and started cutting into the pig, taking out the fresh meat, stabbing a stick into it, and cooking it above the open flames.

As the meat was cooking, the boy’s stomach began to growl. The boy sighed, wishing the meat will cook faster, but knew he had to wait a bit. The smell of the cooking meat was making the boy’s mouth water, it had been so long since he ate any meat, mostly because hunting for wild pigs was difficult since they like to hide, and are very difficult to find. Not only that, but the boy was afraid of hunting for the pigs since they can easily attack him if easily aggravated. The boy knew he couldn’t outrun them, especially deep in the forest, so the boy isn’t able to eat meat that much, and has to preserve what he has as best as he could, and with limited supplies and tools.

“Done,” the boy smiled as the meat was now cooked, if not a bit overcooked. The boy happily took a bite of the meat, enjoying the taste. Though he wished he could find some salt to add a bit more flavor to the meat, it was better than nothing. As the boy ate the meat, he couldn’t help but think about someone who would want some meat as well. “He should be back soon, I wonder if he would like some,” the boy said, still chewing on the meat he was eating.

Suddenly, the boy noticed something in the water. He stood up, and looked closely. In the water was someone, someone the boy was excited to see. The boy smiled and holding the stick with the cooked meat, he ran towards the water, being careful as to not get the meat wet as the water reached his knees.

Once the two reached each other, the boy smiled happily, “you’re back! Took you long enough!”

“Sorry, I had to travel really far, not a lot of fish near here around this season, makes it really difficult to hunt and get food for the both of us.”

“It’s alright Tweek, I’m just glad you’re back.”

“....So...what did you do while I was gone?”

The boy smiled as he held up the meat up, “I hunted a pig today.”

“Well aren’t you clever. Good job, Craig,” Tweek said, taking the stick and taking a bite of the meat. “You cooked it pretty well.”

Craig blushed, happy to see Tweek enjoying what he hunted and cooked, “I may have overcooked it though,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “well...considering I never cooked my food before I met you, this is perfect to me, so it doesn’t matter if you overcooked it, it’s still delicious,” Tweek said.

“Even if there’s no flavor or salt?” Craig asked.

“Of course,” Tweek said. “I like it when you cook, really makes the food more tasty.”

Craig smiled, “I’m glad.”

The siren handed the meat back to the boy, and the two started heading back to land. Once Craig and Tweek reached the camp that Craig had set up, Craig immediately grabbed a clean stick and cut another slice of meat and started cooking it for Tweek.

“I also got some fish for us to eat, we’ll be eating good tonight,” Tweek said.

“We should probably save the rest for tomorrow. Who knows if we’ll be able to catch anything tomorrow and the day after,” Craig said.

“Good idea,” Tweek said. Tweek started crawling towards a basket made of palm leaves. It was poorly made, but was surprisingly keeping its shape, even as the siren open the lid and started dumping half of the fish he caught into the basket. The siren then closed the lid and crawled back towards the young boy and the fire. “Hand me a stick, I’ll cook some of the fish here,” Tweek offered.

“Alright, but be careful. Remember how you almost burned yourself last time?” Craig chuckled, remembering how the siren tried very hard to cook himself, he burnt the fish and burned his hands.

Tweek huffed, “I know, I won’t make the same mistake.”

Craig smiled, “alright, but I’m keeping my eye on you,” Craig said.

Tweek huffed, but takes the stick from Craig’s hand. Tweek then pierced the fish with the stick and started cooking the fish the same way that Craig was cooking the meat. Craig watched Tweek carefully, but smiled when he saw that Tweek was doing okay, so he then turned his attention back to the meat he was cooking, making sure to not overcook it this time.

“....The weather is getting cold, we might have to move south soon,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “I hate moving,” Craig said.

“I know, but we can’t stay here when the weather is cold. We won’t have enough food for the both of us if we stay here. We’ll come back to this place once the weather is warm,” Tweek said.

“But I like it here. I like the water, the beach, the forest, the animals, and the camp I made for myself. I don’t want to leave it all and start all over on another island that will be completely different, and not have what I like,” Craig said.

“Yes, but a new island will have what you need. Warm weather, plentiful food, and will keep you safe,” Tweek said.

Craig huffed, “I already have you keeping me safe.”

“Yes, but considering I have to be in the water most of the time, especially to get food and supplies for you, I won’t be able to be by your side all the time,” Tweek said.

“Yeah well...staying on a deserted island we found isn’t exactly safe. We don’t know what’s on it, and there’s a chance that it’s not deserted. There could be cannibals, man-eating monsters, or...people that might be looking for me,” Craig said, shuddering at the thought of someone trying to take him back home. Even if it’s been two years already, he didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing him and forcing him back to that island he once called his home, he didn’t want to risk seeing those people, he didn’t want to risk seeing Lola.

“I won’t let anyone take you away from me. We promised each other that we would be together, so that is what will happen. We will be together forever, and no one will come between us,” Tweek said, determined.

“....” Craig blushed, his heart skipping a beat, “you really need to watch what you say, otherwise I’m going to misunderstand you,” Craig muttered.

“...What do you mean?” Tweek asked, tilting his head.

Craig blushed harder, “nevermind,” Craig sighed.

Even though what Tweek said meant they were going to be together forever because they promised each other, and Tweek meant it as a friend, Craig couldn’t help but wish that the siren saw him as more than a friend. Craig wasn’t sure when he developed these feelings, but he knows that he cares for Tweek more than a friend. Craig was in love with the siren, but he was too much of a coward to confess. Besides, he was sure that the siren wasn’t interested in being in a romantic relationship with him since he was a human after all.

“I know you don’t want to move from this island since it’s been the perfect place we found, and we already consider it our home, but it won’t be safe once the weather is cold. You’ll both starve and freeze to death if you stay here, so please...don’t be difficult and let’s just go south where it’ll be warm and safer for you during the winter,” Tweek said.

“....Fine,” Craig sighed, “I just hope the next island we go to won’t have any snakes.”

“How was I supposed to know that the first island we visited was infested with snakes?” Tweek huffed.

“I don’t know, maybe the hissing sounds we heard all day could have been a sign? I nearly got bitten ten times. Almost died too,” Craig said.

“Relax, I’ll be sure to inspect the next place we go more closely, okay? Just eat and we’ll discuss where exactly we should go and when we should go, okay?”

“Fine,” Craig sighed. Craig at his food in silence, already in a bad mood. He didn’t want to leave, he liked this island. It was beautiful, the water was the perfect temperature, there were so many places he could run and play, and he liked seeing all the animals that lived here. Craig already consider the little island his new home, and knowing he had to move once the weather gets cold didn’t really sit well with him. 

Craig didn’t want to leave, and he wished he could find a way to stay, but he knew that if he argued with Tweek, the siren would snap at him, then leave Craig alone for a day or two, only showing himself to give Craig food, but not speak to him and simply go back into the ocean for the rest of the day.

Craig didn’t like it when Tweek was mad at him, he didn’t want to be alone. Even if Craig could find ways to entertain himself, he didn’t want to be alone for too long. Since Craig left his home, Tweek was the only friend he had, the only person he could talk to, the only one he could tell his problems, the only one that actually cared for the boy. Craig didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Tweek, even if there were times when the siren irritates the boy. Then again, the boy hasn’t made it easy for the siren either. Still, the two liked each other’s company, and Craig didn’t want Tweek to leave him.

“Alright, you finish eating, I’m going out again,” Tweek said.

“What? You just got here,” Craig said.

“I know, but since we’ll be moving in a few weeks, it’s best that I get some more stuff for us before we head off. Who knows how long it will be until we find a new place for you,” Tweek said.

“Well what am I supposed to do then?” Craig huffed. The sun was going to set soon, so it would be too dangerous for him to run around in the forest without the sun being his source of light to see, and he didn’t want to carry around a torch either.

“I don’t know, do what you humans normally do. Play around, sleep, you can even start making a raft so you don’t have to swim while we’re looking for a new island,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “I hate it when you leave me alone, there’s barely anything to do here,” Craig sighed.

“Hey,” Tweek reached over and placed his hand on Craig’s cheek, “I’ll be back soon, I promise. Just stay here and try not to bring any attention to yourself, who knows what’s out there. If you are good, I’ll bring back something for you,” Tweek smiled.

Craig sighed, “like what? A bunch of seaweed? A torn up flag? A pair of wet, ripped shorts that won’t even fit me?”

Tweek smiled, “I’ll bring you back a pretty shell,” Tweek said, “I know you like collecting them.”

“Yeah, for awhile. Then I lost my collection when I accidentally placed them too close to the water during high tide,” Craig said.

“Well it was your own fault for not knowing the time better,” Tweek said.

“How am I supposed to know the time when I don’t even have a watch?” Craig sighed.

“Just stay here, okay? I’ll be back,” Tweek then started to crawl back towards the water and soon dived in. Craig watched as Tweek started to leave. Tweek looked back, waved at Craig, then went under the water and started to leave.

Craig sighed as he watched Tweek for a bit. Craig sat down in the sand and looked out at the water, already missing Tweek. Craig looked at the meat and fish that was leftover, but he didn’t feel hungry anymore, so he started putting the leftovers in the basket, and hope they’ll still be good to eat in the morning. 

Craig then crawled inside the little tent he made out of sticks and palm leaves. He decided to take a nap since there was nothing to do at that moment, and he didn’t really want to make a raft like Tweek suggested. As Craig laid down, using his arms as a pillow, he closed his eyes, listening to the waves crashing on the beach, the sound of the animals from the forest, and the seagulls squawking above. Craig sighed, and soon drifted to sleep.

Whenever Craig slept, he would always dream about himself and Tweek. He would sometimes dream of him being a siren like Tweek, so he could swim in the ocean with Tweek all day. Craig would also dream about Tweek having human legs, and just being with Craig on land, walking around, playing together, and staying by the other’s side all day. Whenever Craig had these dreams, his heart flutter, and he would wish to never wake up, knowing full well that if he does, he would be alone again, waiting patiently for Tweek to come back.

By the time Craig woke up, it was already dark, and the fire was slowly dying. Craig looked around with tired eyes, seeing that he was still alone. Craig sighed, wondering if Tweek was still gone, but when he looked to his left, he noticed a conch shell laying next to him.

Craig sat up, took the shell in his hand, and stared at it. Craig smiled, clutching the shell close to his chest. Craig wished he could see Tweek, just so he could thank him, but he guessed he’ll have to do it in the morning, knowing full well that the siren was probably sleeping in the ocean at the moment.

Sighing, Craig laid back down, hugging the conch close to his chest. As Craig stared out at the water, wondering what Tweek was dreaming about.

Craig soon fell asleep, he held onto the conch shell tightly.

* * *

The next morning, Tweek was getting ready to leave once more, and Craig was already in a bad mood when he realized that Tweek will be gone for a few hours.

“Do you really have to go? You haven’t eaten breakfast yet,” Craig said.

“I’ll eat on the way. Right now, I should try to find some more food for the both of us, as well as some supplies I know you’ll need,” Tweek said. “Just wait for me here, okay? Why don’t you start on that raft since you didn’t do it yesterday.”

“I was gonna,” Craig said, looking down.

“Uh huh,” Tweek sighed, “just wait for me to come back. I’ll bring back another pretty shell for you,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “I don’t need anymore shells, Tweek.” Craig just wanted Tweek to stay with him.

Tweek sighed, “Craig,” Tweek placed his hand on Craig’s shoulder, “I know you hate this, but it’s for the best. Trust me. Wherever we go, we aren’t far away from home. Home is having each other in our hearts. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we live,” Tweek said.

“....I know,” Craig sighed, “fine...I’ll work on the raft. Just...come back soon, I hate it when you’re gone for too long.”

Tweek smiled before patting Craig on the head, “I’ll be back,” Tweek then left.

Craig sighed as he placed his hands on the top of his head. He really hated it when Tweek treated him like a kid, even if he is a kid. Just because Tweek seemed to be older than Craig, he wished Tweek would treat him more like an adult.

Maybe then, Tweek will see him as more than a friend.

With not much choice, Craig began gathering as much wood, palm leaves, and what little rope he had to make a raft. Using the handmade knife, Craig started cutting up the leaves and sticks, tying them together, and trying his best to make a raft.

“Ugh...what does he expect me to do? It’s not like I went to a camp that actually teaches you how to make a stupid raft,” Craig huffed, trying his best to keep the sticks together, but whenever he was about to tie them, they ended up moving and becoming uneven. “Ugh! If he wanted me to make a raft so much, he could at least help me!” Craig frowned, getting more and more frustrated as he tries to tie the sticks together. Craig accidentally cut his hand when one of the sticks flew out of his grasp. “Fuck!” Craig shouted. Craig clutched his hands, seeing his hand was slightly bleeding. “Fuck this! If he wants a damn raft, he can make it himself!” Craig shouted, he stood up and kicked the sticks away. He then sat down, crossing his arms and glaring at the ocean. “.....Please...come back soon…”

It wasn’t that Craig was mad at the siren, far from it actually, it was more that he was afraid for the siren. He still remembers the sailor’s stories that his uncle used to tell him, and though he wasn’t sure if people believe sirens were real or not, he knows full well that if anyone saw Tweek, they’d kill him and eat his tail, something Craig didn’t want to happen. So whenever Tweek left Craig for a few hours, Craig couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“.....Ugh…” Craig stood up and picked up the sticks. He knew there was no point in moping. Besides, it was going to be awhile until Tweek comes back, and Craig needed to do something instead of just sitting around and doing nothing. Craig continued to work on the raft.

After about an hour, Craig had finished a good half of the raft. He looked at the raft, and smiled at his efforts. Craig placed the raft down and stood up, he began to stretch his arms and legs, already tired from all the work he did.

“How long is he going to take? I’m sure it’s almost close to lunch,” Craig sighed.

Suddenly, Craig sees a tail in the water. It didn’t look like a normal fishtail, it was much larger. Craig’s eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat.

“He’s back!” Craig grinned. He started running towards the water, excited. “Tweek! You’re back!” Craig ran into the water, swimming closer to the siren. “Did you catch anything good? You sure took your…” When Craig got closer, he noticed something was off. For one, the siren hadn’t poke his head out the moment Craig got in the water, the second was how silent the siren was, third was a strange smell he never smelled before, and the final thing he noticed was that the scales were more blue than green. “You’re...not Tweek,” Craig muttered, he started to swim back, but he noticed the figure was swimming towards him really fast, so Craig began to panic and tried to get to land as quickly as he could.

He then heard it, the sound of screeching behind him. Craig dared not to look back, for fear of what he would see. Craig kicked his legs and moved his arms as hard as he could, desperate to get back on land and away from the creature behind him. Just as Craig was about to step on the ground, a hand suddenly grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the water, nearly drowning him.

“Gah!” Craig kicked his legs as he struggled to keep his head up, when he looked down, he saw the creature. It was a siren like Tweek, but this one wanted to tear into the young boy’s flesh.

The siren screeched as its claws dug into Craig’s leg, drawing blood. Craig kicked and screamed, yelling at the siren to let him go. He wanted to call for help, but there was no one around.

Craig knew he was going to die.

“Get off! Get off of me!” Craig shouted, kicking the siren in the face.

The siren hissed at Craig before grabbing at both of Craig’s feet, causing the boy to go into the water. The salt water got into his lungs, and it was getting harder and harder for the boy to breathe. Craig suddenly felt the siren’s hand on top of Craig’s head, pushing him deeper into the water. The siren was intent on killing Craig at that moment, and Craig wasn’t sure what to do.

Just before Craig lost consciousness, he the hand was suddenly removed from his head, and he was free to go up. Craig managed to lift his head up from the water, he gasped for air and started coughing violently. When Craig looked back, he was surprised and happy to see Tweek, who was now guarding Craig from the siren.

“Get to land, now!” Tweek shouted.

Craig nodded and quickly swam back to land. Once he was safe, he watched from a distance as Tweek started hissing at the other siren, showing his sharp teeth, and bring out his claws. The other siren hissed at Tweek, the fins around the siren’s head started flapping back and forth as the siren looked ready to lunge at Tweek. Out of nowhere, the siren grabbed Tweek and was about to bite him, but Tweek quickly pulled away and scratch at the siren’s face. The siren let out a painful howl as it swam back, the new scar on its face began to bleed.

“Get him, Tweek! Get him!” Craig shouted, hoping that Tweek will be okay.

Just before Tweek could make a final kill, the siren stopped. It looked at Tweek in surprise.

“...Tw...eek?” The siren said.

Tweek stopped. He stared at the siren for a bit before glaring at him. Tweek then started speaking in a language that Craig never heard before, he soon realized that Tweek was speaking in his native language towards the siren, who seemed to be talking back to him.

“Tweek?” Craig was confused. Why did the two sirens stopped? Why were they speaking in their native language? What was going on?

Before Craig could understand what was going on, the strange siren suddenly lunged at Tweek, but instead of attacking him, it seemed the siren was snuggling up to Tweek in an affectionate way. Craig froze, watching the two. Craig felt angry as the siren snuggled up to Tweek, while Tweek did nothing, he simply wrapped his arms around the other siren.

“H-hey! What’s going on!? Tweek, do you know this guy?” Craig shouted.

The siren looked at Craig before hissing at him. Before the siren could lunge at the young boy, Tweek quickly grabbed the other siren and pushed him back. Tweek then shook his head, speaking to the siren in his native language.

“.....” The siren looked at Tweek in confusion before he looked back at Craig. Before Craig knew it, the siren grabbed Craig and stared deep into Craig’s eyes.

Craig was surprised and scared, but seeing that Tweek wasn’t doing anything to stop the siren, and the siren hasn’t torn into his flesh, Craig quickly pushed the siren away. He was confused and angry.

“What the hell happened!?”

“Craig, this is my friend, Fang. Fang, this is Craig.”

“...Hello.”

“Friend!?” Craig exclaimed, “this asshole almost killed me!”

“Only because I was surprised that you are Tweek’s...companion,” Fang said.

“Forgive him, Craig. He didn’t know you were with me, and assumed you were another siren’s meal who had escaped,” Tweek explained.

“Yes, I noticed you had a scent of a siren on you, so I assumed that since you were still alive, you managed to escape, never did I think you were...Tweek’s companion,” Fang said.

Craig frowned, “I’m not his companion, I’m his best friend,” Craig said, “and Tweek, can we really trust this guy? He did try to eat me and almost killed you!”

“I didn’t recognize little Tweek when I first saw him, I just thought he was a siren that was claiming you for his meal, but when I heard you shouting his name, I finally realized who he was. My old friend, my brother!” Fang said, patting Tweek on the shoulder.

Tweek smiled, “I missed you too. I thought you died along with the others,” Tweek said.

“I thought so too, but some of us managed to escape from the massacre. When I didn’t see you...I thought of the worst,” Fang said.

“Well I’m alive, and I’m thankful that you’re alive as well,” Tweek smiled.

“Brother…” Fang leaned forward and hugged Tweek, causing Craig to get jealous.

“I hate to interrupt this lovely reunion you two have, but did you forget that I almost died!?” Craig shouted.

Fang glared at the human boy, “why do you stay with this...human?” Fang said, emphasizing the word human in a disgusted manner.

“Because we’re friends, and we made a promise together!” Craig exclaimed, grabbing Tweek’s arm and holding it tightly.

“Promise?” Fang asked.

Tweek nodded, “I promise to protect him from those that hurt him,” Tweek said.

“But Tweek, he’s a human! You know what humans have done to our kind,” Fang growled.

“He’s different. Besides, he’s only a child,” Tweek said.

“A child that will one day grow up, leave, and hunt us now that he knows we exist,” Fang said.

“I would never do that!” Craig shouted, hugging Tweek’s arm, “I would never hurt Tweek or his kind...even if you are an asshole for trying to eat me!”

“Craig, that’s enough,” Tweek frowned.

“But he-”

“I understand you’re upset, but you have to see things from Fang’s side. He has a distrust for humans after your kind has slaughtered ours, so forgive him for attacking you, he just felt...threatened by you, especially when you came towards him,” Tweek said.

“I thought it was you,” Craig said.

“Well now you know it wasn’t, and if I didn’t arrive soon, you would have been killed. Let this be a lesson, Craig,” Tweek said.

“....You treat this human as if he isn’t going to be dangerous,” Fang said.

“Because he isn’t. Like I said, he’s different. He’s only a mere child,” Tweek said.

“Quit saying that,” Craig muttered, but it seemed both Tweek and Fang didn’t hear him since they were ignoring him now.

“Tweek, if you were alive this entire time, why didn’t you come back to us?” Fang asked.

“I wasn’t sure where you were, and I was too distraught after my family died,” Tweek said.

“Tweek,” Fang placed his hand on Tweek’s cheek, rubbing his thumb against his cheek. Craig frowned. Fang smiled and looked at Tweek, “well now that you’re alive, you can come back. Come home.”

“What?” Craig exclaimed.

“...I can’t,” Tweek said.

“What do you mean you can’t? You’re alive, and we’re alive. It’s time to go home,” Fang said.

“....Craig, will you give us a moment?”

Craig frowned, “whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me,” Craig said.

“Craig. Now,” Tweek said sternly, Craig can tell he was getting mad.

“....Fine,” Craig looked down. Craig let go of Tweek’s arm and left the two. He walked back to his camp so he would still be able to look at the two, but just won’t be able to hear them.

Craig watched as the two continued talking, mostly likely speaking in their native tongue as to not let Craig in on what they were saying. Craig tried to see if he could understand by looking at their facial expressions, but being so far away from them made it difficult.

Eventually, Craig watched as Fang looked down, looking sad almost. Tweek came over and hugged Fang, then Fang looked at Craig before turning his back and leaving.

Once Fang was gone, Tweek rushed back towards Tweek. “What did you guys talk about?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned with,” Tweek sighed.

“Well are you at least going to tell me if you’re going to leave with him?” Craig asked, hoping that Tweek will say no.

“I’m not leaving you. We made a promise,” Tweek smiled.

Craig sighed in relief, “thank god,” Craig said, he then patted Tweek on the back, “I know this must be hard, especially since you haven’t seen him for a long time or something, but at least you got to see him one last time,” Craig said.

“What are you talking about? Fang will be coming back tomorrow,” Tweek said.

“....What?”

Tweek sighed, “Fang really wanted me to go with him, but I knew I couldn’t leave you behind, so we made a compromise. Fang and I will meet tomorrow and go hunting together, just like old times. That way we’ll both be satisfied,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “how long will he be showing up?”

“Just until he can finally move on, don’t be mad,” Tweek said.

“I just don’t see why you made that promise with him, especially since he nearly ate me!” Craig exclaimed.

“You know...when we first met, I nearly ate you, and yet you and I are friends,” Tweek said.

Craig blushed, “that’s because you’re different,” Craig said.

“Fang and I aren’t that different from each other. Trust me, when you get to know Fang, you’ll learn to like him just as much as you like me,” Tweek smiled.

Craig highly doubt that, especially since Craig was in love with Tweek, but Tweek didn’t know.

Craig sighed, “whatever,” Craig said, “now that you’re back mind helping me with the raft?”

“You actually made it?” Tweek seemed surprised.

“Of course. You said that this would be easier for us while we’re looking for a new place to live,” Craig said.

Tweek chuckled, “you’re quite a resourceful fellow, huh?” Tweek said, patting Craig on the head.

“.....” Craig sighed, really wishing Tweek would stop treating him like a child. “Let’s just fix this thing up already,” Craig sighed. Tweek nodded and started helping Craig finish the raft, even going in the ocean to get seaweed when they ran out of rope.

Now that it was just the two of them, Craig finally relaxed and enjoyed this moment with Tweek. However, Craig couldn’t help but wonder if Tweek actually wished he could be with Fang and his kind, especially when Craig remembered the look that Tweek had after Fang left.

* * *

For the next few days, Craig would watch Tweek leaving him early in the morning to be with Fang and a few other sirens. At first, Craig thought he should listen to Tweek and try to get along with the other sirens, but after seeing how the sirens looked at him with either a face of disgust or hunger, Craig decided to stay away from them and just watch as Tweek leaves with them for their morning hunt.

Everytime Tweek left, Craig felt lonely. Tweek would either come back later in the afternoon or evening, which only made Craig feel more and more anxious. Craig knew that Tweek was safe with his friends, but at the same time, he wished he could come along and be with Tweek.

The more Tweek spent time with his friends, especially Fang, the more Craig felt jealous about their relationship. Everytime Tweek and Fang snuggle together, Craig couldn’t help but hate the other siren more and more, but Craig knew he shouldn’t get jealous, after all, Tweek and Fang were just friends, they act like brothers, so there was no need for Craig to be jealous.

Right?

“.....” Craig was watching Tweek and Fang sunbathing, and Craig couldn’t help but notice how close Fang was to Tweek, unnecessarily close. Craig frowned and wished that Fang would leave already, the two already did their morning hunt, and the other sirens had already left, so there was no need for Fang to still be around. “Tweek, mind helping me sharpen my spear?” Craig asked.

“Oh, sure,” Tweek reached out and took the stick from Craig’s hand.

“Do you really need to bother us with something you can clearly do on your own?” Fang asked.

Craig frowned, “what’s it to you?”

“Now now,” Tweek sighed, he turned to look at Fang, “be easy on him, he’s still a child,” Tweek said. Craig frowned at that.

“Even if he is a child, he should learn to mind his own business, especially when we’re talking,” Fang said.

“What about you? Ever think that maybe you’re bugging Tweek by constantly coming here all the time, and with those fish friends of yours?” Craig snapped.

“Craig!”

“Tweek is one of us, he’s nothing like a spoiled human like yourself,” Fang growled.

“Fang!”

“Well Tweek chose to stay with me, so…” Craig gave Fang a smug look.

“You two, could you please…”

“He wouldn’t be forced to stay with you if he never made that dumb promise. The only reason he’s with you is because he can’t leave you alone since you’re only a child. You’re nothing but a nuisance,” Fang said.

Craig frowned, getting mad. He wasn’t the nuisance, Fang was. That was what Craig thought. “Screw you! Tweek chose me because he loves me, unlike you you sack of-”

“Enough!” Tweek shouted, separating the two. “Craig, apologize.”

Craig’s eyes widened, “why should I apologize? He started it!”

“It doesn’t matter who started it, what you just said to him was very cruel. Fang thought I was dead for many years, and you telling him that I don’t care for him anymore is just...uncalled for. He’s family,” Tweek explained. “He’s been heartbroken for many years, Craig. Can’t you see things from his point of view?”

“He’s not even related to you! How is he family?” Craig exclaimed.

“The reason Tweek and I are close is because our family originally planned for us to be mates,” Fang said.

Craig froze, “w-what?”

Tweek sighed, “that was years ago, our parents thought having us together would bring our families closer, but after what happened, we decided to call the whole thing off,” Tweek said.

“Not officially though,” Fang said.

“So...you two...like each other?” Craig asked, his heart aching.

“Of course we do,” Fang said, “our bond is far stronger than what he has with you, human. You’re nothing but a child that Tweek is forced to care for.”

“Fang, don’t,” Tweek frowned.

“No, I need to say this before you make a decision you’ll regret because of him,” Fang said, glaring at Craig. “You’re nothing but a nuisance, weighing Tweek down, enslaving him, forcing him to never join his own kind. While you’re happy with how things are, have you ever thought of what Tweek felt? Have you ever thought that maybe Tweek wishes to be free from you just so he can be with his siren brothers and sisters?”

“Fang!”

“....I...I didn’t think about that,” Craig said, clutching the edge of his shirt tightly.

“Of course you didn’t. Humans are nothing but selfish beings, only wanting to take from others that are smaller than them. You don’t see Tweek as your friend, you see him as a toy you play with until you get bored.”

“T-that’s not true!” Craig exclaimed.

“Oh? Then you treat him like a slave, always having to work extra hard just to feed the both of you.”

“That’s not it either!” Craig exclaimed, his face getting flushed.

“Fang, leave him alone,” Tweek said, trying to push Fang away.

“Then what is he to you, human? Someone you’ll eventually get bored with? Someone you want to tell all the humans once you leave this island? Someone you’ll eventually take their tail from? Why do you insist on being with Tweek when you’ve done nothing but be a nuisance?”

“I would never treat Tweek horribly! I love him!” Craig shouted, not realizing what he was saying. Craig’s eyes widened and he covered his mouth, all while the two sirens stared at him in shock.

“What?”

“Ha ha ha ha...oh...this is...more than I expected. This entire time, I thought this little human was treating you as a servant...but instead...he develop feelings for you, and you didn’t have to use your enchanting song to make him fall for you. How laughable,” Fang laughed.

Craig stood there, his cheeks getting red. Before anyone knew it, Craig turned and ran towards the forest in embarrassment. He didn’t look back, even as Tweek called for his name. Craig just hid in the forest, far away from the beach as possible. He didn’t want to see anyone for awhile.

By the time the sun was setting and the sky was now a red-orange color, Craig eventually headed back, still embarrassed, but thought that he should face Tweek instead of hiding away from him. To Craig’s surprise, Tweek was sitting on the sand, staring at the sunset. Tweek was alone, no Fang, or anyone else. Craig felt a bit relieved now that Fang was gone and he didn’t have to feel too nervous.

“He’s gone?” Craig asked once he reached Tweek.

Without looking back, Tweek nodded, “yes. Fang left a few hours ago.”

“Good,” Craig said, “I don’t want him laughing at me again,” Craig said.

“I’m sorry for him, Craig. I should have stopped Fang when he was embarrassing you and asking you these questions. Are you okay?”

Craig shrugged, “a little...I guess,” Craig walked over and sat next to Tweek on the sand, staring up at the sky with him, “why is Fang such a jerk?”

“Craig, how would you feel if you thought your long time friend died along with your family members? You’d be a bit sensitive and almost hostile towards people like, just like Fang. He’s just...trying to heal, and he’s only being mean towards you because humans were the reason that his family died,” Tweek said.

Craig looked down, feeling a bit bad for being mean to Fang. Even though Craig still thinks it was uncalled for Fang to be that aggressive towards him, he can sorta understand what Fang is going through.

“I’m sorry,” Craig said.

“It’s not me you have to apologize,” Tweek said.

“I know...I’ll apologize to Fang the next time he’s here,” Craig said.

“Good,” Tweek said.

“....And...I’m sorry for acting...childish,” Craig said.

Tweek chuckled, “well you are a child, Craig. We both are,” Tweek said.

“Maybe...but you’re still mature than me,” Craig said.

“Well someone has to be mature here...especially since I have to look out for you,” Tweek said.

“Hey...we look out for each other. I maybe a kid, but I can be as mature as you,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “I know, Craig.”

Craig smiled and looked down at the sand. His heart was still beating fast, “so?”

“So...what?”

“About...what I said...before running off. I know it’s...sudden...and I honestly didn’t plan on telling you like that, but...I guess now that it’s out in the open...I just need to know what your thoughts are…” Craig blushed.

“.....Craig,” Tweek looked at him, “I think you’re a good person, and honestly, I’m happy that we’re friends...even if we ended up being friends after you experience such hardships for awhile,” Tweek said.

Craig nodded, “yeah...Lola...the town...dad...and mom,” Craig sighed.

“Yes...and honestly...I treasure our friendship...and you. I care so much for you, Craig,” Tweek smiled.

Craig looked at him, smiling himself. However, when Craig stared into the siren’s eyes, he noticed that the smile seemed almost...forced. “...But?”

“....” Tweek’s smile dropped, “but forming an intimate relationship between us...it would be...impossible,” Tweek said.

“What? What does that mean?”

“Craig...you have to realize that your feelings towards me might not be true. Your feelings could be a fabrication you made up because you’re lonely, and since I’m the only one that is here for you, you believe that having me as your mate will make you happy, but in reality...it can’t work between us,” Tweek said.

“Why not?” Craig frowned.

“Craig...you’re human, I’m a siren. Our lifespans are far too different. I outlive you, while you grow old and die.”

“So what? Don’t you love me?”

“Of course I love you,” Tweek said.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I love you as a friend, even as a brother...I can’t see myself being with you as a mate. It would be too complicated, even for someone like you,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “you’re treating me like I can’t understand anything, like I won’t be able to comprehend what you’re saying. You’re treating me like a child,” Craig said.

“Craig. You have to understand. What lies in the future is undetermined. Who knows what will happen. One day, you will grow up and might want to live with other humans again, might even find someone else to fall in love with, while I’m in the ocean, swimming with my kind again,” Tweek said.

“....You think I’m a nuisance,” Craig said.

“What? I didn’t say that,” Tweek said.

“The way you smiled when you mentioned how you want to swim in the ocean with your friends...I’m...I’m the reason you can’t do that,” Craig said.

“Craig, you’re misunderstanding,” Tweek frowned.

“No I’m not! You think I’m weighing you down, just like Fang said! You...you want to get rid of me...just so you can join your kind. You hope that when I get older, you can easily leave me and forget about me!”

“That’s not it, Craig! I would never do such a thing!”

“That’s what it sounds like to me!” Craig frowned.

“Craig, you’re making assumptions,” Tweek said.

“Am I? From how I see it…I think...I think you never considered me your friend, you just consider me as a nuisance that forced you to take me with you because you felt pity for me!”

“Craig, I do think you’re my friend! Just please...why don’t you calm down, and let’s talk about this, hm?”

“Stop treating me like a kid!” Craig shouted, standing up, “ever since you saved me, you’ve never treated me seriously! Always telling me to behave whenever you’re gone, always telling me to just play while you’re hunting, always thinking I’m a joke! The only time you ever take me seriously is when I’m cooking meals for you since that’s the only adult thing you think I can do since I know how to do it, while you don’t! I’m fucking sick of it!” Craig shouted.

“Craig, please…”

“You know what, Tweek...I don’t even know why I ever had feelings for you! You’re not my friend, not a real one! You don’t really care! You just think I’m a child that was dumped on you because you have no choice! Well sorry that I’m such a fucking nuisance to you, Tweek! I’ll do us both a favor and just leave you alone, a-and...you can go back to your siren friends and never come back! I don’t care!” Craig exclaimed, tears in his eyes. Craig turned and started leaving.

“Craig!” Tweek shouted. Tweek started to crawl as quickly as he could to reach for Craig, but Craig was already running away from Tweek and heading deep into the forest.

Craig kept running, not caring where he was going. Even though he couldn’t leave the island, he wanted to be as far away from Tweek as possible. Craig kept running until he was on the other side of the island, which Craig had never been to before since he never needed to go there, but he was glad that he was there, he could cry in peace and Tweek wouldn’t be able to find him.

“Stupid...asshole,” Craig wiped the tears from his eyes as he sat down on a boulder, “I’m so stupid! As if he would ever see you as anything but a kid who has problems. I should have known,” Craig muttered, glaring at the ground, “he was probably waiting for the right moment to abandon me, hell...I bet the whole moving to another island thing was a lie and he was just going to take me back...home,” the thought of going home terrified Craig, even if Tweek didn’t actually plan to do that, the thought of it made Craig’s blood boil and made his heart ache.

As Craig sat there, all alone, he wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t leave the island, he didn’t know where to go, and he didn’t want to go back to Tweek, not after his outburst and how his confession was technically rejected. Craig didn’t know what to do, and just wished something could happen, anything.

Craig wished that someone could just take him away from it all, just so the pain will stop.

Suddenly, Craig hears loud laughter in the distance. What was strange was that it sounded like a bunch of men laughing. Confused, Craig looked around, but saw no one. He stood up and started walking around, wondering where the laughter was coming from.

Craig walked back into the forest, searching around. He was confused as to who was laughing, especially since he was sure the inhabitants of the island were the animals, Tweek, and himself, so there shouldn’t be any people on the island. However, as soon as Craig reached the beach, he froze when he saw ten rugged men, all of which were dressed up like...pirates?

“What?” Craig was confused. He never thought he would see pirates in his life, but there, standing a few feet away from him, were real life pirates, and they were currently digging up the ground, probably looking for treasure.

“Hurry up, men! We’re losing daylight! If we don’t find that treasure, it will be your heads!”

“Aye, captain!” The men said.

Craig wasn’t sure who the captain was, but judging from the voice, he didn’t sound like a man, he sounded like...a kid. Curious, Craig walked around, being as quiet as he could be. He peeked over at the pirates, and to his surprise, he saw an eleventh person hiding among the ten pirates. A boy, probably around his age. He had a green parrot on his shoulder, two hooks on both of his hands, a red coat, a captain’s hat, black pants, a blue shirt underneath the coat, and brown hair.

“Captain, we found it!”

“Well don’t just stand there, mouths gaping, bring it up!” The young looking pirate said.

Craig was confused. How could a kid who looked around his age be captain? This doesn’t seem right, if anything, it looked like a comedy sketch to Craig. This couldn’t be real, right?

As Craig leaned a bit forward to get a closer look, surprised to see the pirates carrying a treasure chest out of the ground, his foot accidentally kicked a stone, causing it to topple down and soon reached the pirates where they stood.

The pirates froze, stared at the stone before taking out their swords and had menacing looks on their faces.

“Argh! Who’s there? You trying to steal our treasure?” The young captain exclaimed.

Craig didn’t say anything, he quickly hid behind a couple of bushes, and hope they wouldn’t find him.

“Hm...not talking, huh? Men, search the area! We aren’t alone on this island,” the young captain said.

“Aye, captain!” The men exclaimed. They all scattered, looking around, trying to find Craig.

Craig was scared at that moment, he wasn’t sure what to do. He thought of running back to Tweek and hope he would do something, but he wasn’t sure if he was able to run back to Tweek, not with all these pirates looking for him. Not only that, but there were eleven of them, and Craig was sure Tweek couldn’t handle them all.

Craig just stayed silent, covering his mouth and nose as to not make a sound, and peeked out of the bushes, watching as the pirates search around, but miraculously didn’t check the bush he was in.

“Did you find him, men?”

“Sorry captain, but we don’t see anyone!”

“Well you lot better look harder, otherwise I’ll keelhaul you all,” the young captain shouted.

“Aye, captain!” The men kept searching.

As soon as Craig saw the men leaving a different direction, he thought he should escape at that moment. So getting down to his knees, Craig started to crawl slowly out of the bush and hope to run to the other side of the island before they noticed.

“Well well well, what do we have here?” A hook suddenly grabbed at the back of Craig’s shirt, lifting the boy up. He was face to face with the young captain. “So you’re the one that’s been spying on us, hm?”

“L-let me go! Let me go!” Craig shouted, trying to tug his shirt off of the hook.

The young captain glared at the boy, he tugged on his shirt more, forcing Craig to look at him. “Alright you little spy, who sent you? Was it Stoley? Stotch? Cartman?”

“I-I don’t know who you’re talking about! Just let me go!” Craig shouted.

“I don’t think we’ll be doing that, boy. You’re coming with us,” the young captain said.

“Men! Get back to the ship! We have some questioning to do with this little spy,” the young captain said.

“Aye, captain!”

“Just let me go! I didn’t do anything! I’m not a spy! I just live on this island, that’s all!”

“Live on this island? How on earth can a kid like you live on this island all by yourself? Quit your lying, and you might live longer!” The young captain pushed Craig towards one of his men, and the pirate picked up Craig and carried him as they all headed back to their ship.

“Let go! Let go!” Craig shouted. Craig was panicking as he was being taken by these strange pirates. As soon as they put him on their little boat so they can row back to their ship, Craig knew he had to call for Tweek, he just hope that Tweek would be able to hear from him all the way here. “Tweek! Tweek! Help!” Craig shouted as loud as he could.

“Quit your screaming, boy! Who you are calling for help, hm? A friend of yours?”

“Yes, and he’s going to kill you!” Craig shouted. “Tweek!” Tweek called out.

“Oh? What can a mere boy do to kill us, hm?” The young pirate smirked.

Suddenly, the waves got rocky, almost tilting the other boat over. The young captain nearly fell, but soon kept his balance as the boat calmed down.

“What was that?”

“Captain, there’s something in the water!”

“What!?”

All the pirates looked down into the water, they noticed a dark shadow underneath, swimming towards them.

“What on earth?”

“Tweek!” Craig shouted.

“Tweek?” The young captain questioned.

Suddenly, Tweek popped his head up from the water, glaring angrily at the pirates. “Let him go!” Tweek shouted, his voice was shrill and almost demonic sounding.

“A-a-a siren!?” The young captain exclaimed, “you didn’t tell me your friend was a siren!” The young captain exclaimed.

“Captain, what do we do!?”

“Keep rowing and away from that monster!” The young captain shouted.

The men started to row their boats as fast as they could back to the ship, but Tweek ducked back into the water and saw towards their boats, rocking them back and forth, hitting the boats, and trying to stop them from leaving.

“....You,” the young captain grabbed at Craig, “how are you controlling this monster?”

“He’s not a monster, he’s my friend! Now let me go, and I might tell him to not kill you!” Craig shouted.

“Friend? No one is friends with a siren,” the young captain said. “Hm...you might be more valuable than I thought! Keep rowing men! We need to head back to the ship and blast this siren to kingdom come!”

“No!” Craig shouted, “Tweek! Help!” Craig shouted.

Tweek rammed into the boat where Craig was, managing to tip the boat over. All the pirates fell into the water, including Craig. Craig quickly swam up into the water, and used the boat to keep his afloat.

“Craig! Grab my hand!” Tweek shouted as soon as he reached Craig.

Craig leaned forward to grab Tweek’s hand, but suddenly, a hook grabbed Craig by the back of his shirt, pulling him away. The young captain got out of the water, stood on the flipped over boat, and was holding Craig back.

“Let him go!” Tweek hissed, baring his sharp teeth.

“You want him? Come and get him,” the young captain said. “Polly, fire!” The young captain exclaimed.

Confused, the two looked back at the ship, and noticed the parrot. The parrot had a match in its beak, which the parrot had lit and was lighting the cannon. The cannon was aimed straight at Tweek.

“Tweek! Look-” The cannon fired and the cannonball shot at Tweek. Tweek quickly went underwater as the cannon almost hit him. “Tweek!” Craig shouted.

“Time to go,” the young captain said.

Craig suddenly felt a pair of hands on him as the pirates from the other boat grabbed him and started taking him towards the ship. The other pirates were now climbing on the boat, one of them grabbed Craig by the back of his shirt, and pulling him up the ship.

Craig struggled against the pirates grip, and tried his best to escape, but the men held him down as they waited for their captain to get on board.

The captain soon boarded the ship, and with a smug grin on his face, he looked at Craig before telling his men to set sail. “Alright men, let’s get the hell out of here and away from that sea demon!”

“No! Let me go!” Craig shouted.

“Better get comfy, it’ll be a long journey for you,” the captain said. “Raise the sails!”

“Aye, captain!” The men shouted.

Craig couldn’t do anything as the pirates lifted the anchor and untied the sails. Craig watched as the ship began to move.

“No! No! Tweek!” Craig managed to get out of the pirates grip and ran towards the edge of the ship. Craig looked down and saw Tweek swimming as fast as he could towards the ship, but the ship had a lot of momentum, going faster than Tweek. “Tweek! Help!” Craig shouted.

“Craig! I’m coming!” Tweek shouted as he tried to catch up to the ship, but it was going to fast.

Craig thought of jumping over, but the pirate captain grabbed Craig by the back of his shirt with his left hook hand, and lifted his right hook hand near the boy’s neck.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. Better say goodbye to your fish friend, you won’t be seeing him anytime soon,” the young captain said.

Craig looked back, and couldn’t see Tweek anymore. His heart sank as he realized that he was on a pirate ship, surrounded by pirates, and their captain was a young boy.

“Looks like we’ll be spending some time together, boy. Better get comfy,” the young pirate threw Craig to the ground, and walked off, all while Craig stared at him in fear.

“Captain Donovan, where should we go now?”

“Keep heading south. I’m sure Cartman and his men won’t be able to find us there, and we need to stay clear away from those blasted sirens as much as possible. We don’t need to deal with those monsters at this moment,” the young captain said.

“Aye, captain!”

“Now...before you start protesting, boy, why don’t you tell us what you were doing with that siren, or else?” The young captain said, holding up his hook hand. All the other pirates looked down at Craig, making the boy scared.

Craig wasn’t sure what to do, he didn’t know how to escape, he didn’t know where to find Tweek, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to handle this.

All Craig knew was that he was screwed.


	3. Captain Clyde Donovan

The waves were gentle as the boat sailed around the ocean, and to most, a day where the sun was warm, the waves weren’t too rough, and the lovely smell of the ocean would have brought anyone at ease.

Everyone, but the tied up boy who was kidnapped against his own will.

“Nngg...let me go you pig face!” Craig exclaimed, insulting the one he presumed was the captain.

“That’s captain Donovan to you, you...you...um…” the young captain leaned towards one of his men, “got any insults I can say?”

“Er...how about...siren lover?”

“Oh, good one,” the young captain said before turning his attention back to the young boy, “you better shut your trap and stay quiet, before we keelhaul you, you siren lover,” the young captain grinned while his men laughed behind him.

“Wow, you must be so slow that you can’t even come up with your own insults, let alone ask someone to come up with a good one,” Craig said.

The young captain glared at the boy before stomping his right foot, as if throwing a tantrum. The young captain then walked over, and pointed one of his hook hands at the young boy.

“If you keep disrespecting me, kid, then I’ll throw you overboard, let the sharks devour you,” the captain said.

“Do whatever you want, Tweek will come and save me in no time,” Craig said.

“That siren boyfriend of yours?” the captain snorted, “kid, don’t you know that sirens are nothing but selfish, flesh eating, manipulative monsters? I bet that siren is glad to be rid of someone like you, especially with how you barely have any meat on those bones of yours,” the captain said.

“Tweek isn’t like that! Even if that was true about all sirens, Tweek is different,” Craig said.

“Oh? How so?” Before Craig could say anything, the young captain interrupted him, “let me guess, he promises you that he won’t eat you, you both end up bonding over something, you feel that the siren treats you in a special way, and the siren would go out of its way to take care of you, am I right?”

“.....”

“Look kid, I’ve seen this before, sirens don’t want to be your friend, they just want to manipulate you into trusting them, that way it’ll be easier for them to eat you later, especially after they fatten you up,” the young captain said.

“Tweek would never do that! You...you...stupid pig face turd muncher!” Craig exclaimed.

“T-turd muncher? You...you...you!” The young captain’s face was bright red as he angrily glared at the young boy. “That’s it! I want him overboard, now!”

“Er...captain?”

“What?” The young captain turned towards one of his men.

“I know you’re mad with this little sailor mouth boy, but maybe we should keep him around for a bit,” the man said.

“What? Why? He’s been nothing but a pain in the ass all day, and after that siren attacked us, we know now that he’s not one of Cartman’s men, since they never go near those damn creatures as well,” the young captain said, “it would be better to be rid of this little crap once and for all and keep heading south,” the young captain said.

“I know sir, but maybe...this lad might be of use to us?”

The young captain looked at him in surprise, he looked back at Craig before pulling one of his men to the side, “what are you saying?”

“Well...even if that siren was manipulating that boy, it looked like the siren was determined to stop us from taking the boy,” the pirate said.

“So?”

“So...maybe...the boy does have some control over that siren, and we could possibly use that to our advantage, especially against Cartman and his men if they ever find us.”

“...You think that’ll work?” The captain asked.

“I’m sure it’ll work, captain. With this boy around and his ability to control that siren, we might rid ourselves of Cartman and his men once and for all.”

“.....Hm…” the young captain paced back and forth, looking conflicted. He looked at Craig and then back at his men. Thinking about it for a few more seconds, the young captain had a grin on his face, “alright, if there’s a chance we can get rid of that damn Cartman, then I guess we might as well try this idea.” The young captain walked back towards Craig, crouching down to be at his level, “alright kid, here’s the deal. We won’t kill you, but in return, you’re gonna have to help us with a problem of ours.”

“As if I’d ever help you,” Craig glared at him.

“Oh you will be helping us...especially if you ever want to return to that siren boyfriend of yours,” the young captain smirked.

“You….it doesn’t matter! Tweek will find me eventually!” Craig exclaimed.

“Oh he might...but he might end up discovering your lifeless body in the middle of the ocean, so if you don’t want that to happen, I recommend helping us out, hm?” The young captain threatened.

“Ugh…” Craig glared at him, wanting to fight, but knew that if he doesn’t cooperate, he’s a goner, and he wasn’t even sure how long it’ll be till Tweek finds him, or if Tweek is able to find him, the ocean is very large after all. With not much of a choice, Craig glared at the pirate, “what is it that you need my help with?”

The captain smiled, “you see, me and my men used to work with another pirate group, the captain was called Eric Cartman, he is the most bloodthirsty bastard you’ll ever see. We ended up cutting ties with him after he threatened us because he assumed we were stealing his treasure from him,” the young captain said.

“Yeah yeah, get to the point already, I don’t need to know about your life story,” Craig sighed, still agitated.

“I-I’m getting to it, hold on!” The young captain pouted, “anyways, after a lot of fighting between our groups, we all ended up splitting up, old friends had become enemies, who once we considered our brothers are nothing more but backstabbing traitors who deserve a thousand needles piercing their backs!” The young captain was fuming at this point.

“You done?” Craig sighed.

The young captain sighed, “to make things short, after we separated, Cartman continued to hold a grudge against us, and is now after us for leaving and betraying our oath we made a long time ago, and is now after blood. Which is where you’ll come in and help us. With your ability to control sirens, I’m sure Cartman and his men will back off and leave us alone,” the young captain said.

“I don’t control sirens,” Craig said.

“What?”

“The only siren I’m close with is Tweek, and I don’t control him,” Craig said, “and since you butt munchers kidnapped me and took me away from Tweek, the only siren I actually know, your stupid plan isn’t going to work,” Craig said.

“I...well...um…” The captain turned towards his men, “you said this plan will work!” The pirate he spoke with earlier simply shrugged his shoulders. The captain looked worried, but calmed himself soon enough, “okay then...how about this...we’ll find that siren for you and you use it to help us,” the young captain said.

“Tch, why should we help you?” Craig asked.

“Because...if you don’t help us, we’ll kill you and the siren,” the young captain said.

Craig glared at him, “Tweek can take you on, and considering you’re just a kid yourself, I’m sure I can kick your ass easily,” Craig smirked.

The young captain frowned, “maybe so...but my dad is very powerful, and he’ll know all about you and your siren, so if anything happens to me and my men...let’s just say...you and your siren won’t be living a happy life for much longer, you’ll be hunted down and killed the moment you’re seen. You’ll never be at peace,” the captain said.

“.....”

“So...do we have a deal, fart sniffer?” The young captain smirked.

“....” As much as Craig didn’t like this, and he definitely didn’t want to be part of a band of pirates, he knew that he couldn’t risk his and Tweek’s peaceful life together. “...Fine. We’ll help you deal with that Cartman guy, but after that you’ll have to let us go.”

“It’s a deal,” the young captain smirked.

“Deal?” Craig said, not sure.

The young captain smiled, “I know pirates are known to be compulsive liars, but me...when I make a promise...I keep them,” the captain said, “...to an extent of course.”

“....” Craig sighed, not seeing he has much choice, “alright...deal.”

“Smart of you,” the young captain said, “alright, untie him and give him some food, he looks starved,” the captain ordered.

“Aye, captain,” the men exclaimed. One of them rushed over and helped Craig up, untying the ropes around him.

Once Craig was freed, he looked around, feeling nervous, but tried his best to stay calm. After all, with no way of escaping, not sure where Tweek was or how long it’ll be until he finds him, and not really familiar with where they are or how far land was, Craig couldn’t just jump off the ship and get him, he couldn’t run, and he definitely couldn’t find Tweek on his own.

Craig was trap on a ship full of pirates, and the captain of the ship was just a kid, no older than he was.

“So...what do they call you?” The young captain asked Craig.

“...I’m Craig,” Craig said.

“No last name?” The captain asked.

Craig frowned, “it’s Tucker.”

“Well Craig Tucker, as long as you are on this ship, you shall address me as captain, otherwise, you’ll be walking the plank, got it? Here are the names you can address me by. Captain, captain Donovan, captain Clyde, or simply Clyde if it’s easier for you,” the captain said.

“Just...Clyde?” Craig asked.

The young captain looked at Craig sheepishly, “well...even I get tired of saying captain all the time,” the young captain said.

“....” Craig wasn’t sure what he agreed to, but he can tell that this bad of pirates aren’t anything like the ones from his uncle’s stories or his books.

“Welcome to the Kraken, Tucker, you’re one of us now...at least...for a short while,” the young captain smirked.

The men laughed and cheered, as Craig stood there, praying that Tweek will find him soon.

* * *

Craig and the pirates continued to sail on the ocean, still heading south, much to Craig’s disappointment.

“Why are we still heading south? Shouldn’t we turn back around if you want me to get Tweek for your dumb plan?” Craig asked.

“Watch your tongue, I am still captain and will be addressed with respect,” Clyde frowned, “and as for your siren, you said he’ll find you eventually, and we’ve already sailed too far away from the island you were on, and we don’t have enough supplies or time to go back. As soon as we reached the nearest harbor and stack up on rations, we’ll find that siren for you, but until then, just be patient and who knows, that siren boyfriend of yours might come to us,” Clyde said.

Craig sighed and continued to eat the piece of bread he was given earlier. He was a bit hungry after sailing around for almost five hours now.

“....I gotta ask, but why are you captain anyways?”

Clyde looked at him, mad, “what’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t be captain? That’s what Cartman said before I left and took half of his men with me,” Clyde huffed.

“No, I mean...you’re just a kid...you look to be around my age. How the heck did you become a captain, let alone a pirate?” Craig asked.

Clyde looked at Craig before sighing, “well...I should thank my dad for that. My dad is a pirate himself, you see, but he’s also a merchant and trader, and has a shipping business all across the sea, and well...you see...me and Cartman used to be friends...and we really like pirates, so...with the help of my dad, we managed to get our own ships, hired some pirates, and we started setting sailing across the seas, doing pirate stuff...like...finding treasure, discovering islands that have never been discovered, seen many beautiful creatures, and having a grand old time! I, of course, have to report to my dad every now and then so he won’t worry about me too much, and he was the one who hired our men since he didn’t trust me sailing with a bunch of strangers. Most of the men here are my dad’s old employees before they started working for me,” Clyde explained.

“I see...well what about what happened between you and that Cartman guy? Shouldn’t your dad help you with that?”

Clyde shook his head, “it’s the law of the pirates, when a pirate and another pirate have a dispute, they can’t get help from other pirates, the pirates must handle the situation themselves, even if it means death. The only help that the pirates can get are from outsiders, and you are considered to be an outsider, you and that siren boyfriend of yours,” Clyde said.

“That sounds...kinda stupid if you ask me,” Craig said. He never heard such laws, even when his uncle told him stories about pirates. Just how much of this was true and fake?

“Well...okay...maybe my dad made the law and he thought that if Cartman and I ever fight, we should handle it ourselves,” Clyde said, “he doesn’t really want me asking other pirates, especially the mean looking ones,” Clyde pouted.

“But you said that you and Cartman could kill each other, how is that any better than asking a bunch of random pirates to help with the dispute?”

“Like I said, my dad is a pirate himself, and he tries to mix in the pirate stuff with his parenting stuff. It doesn’t work all the time,” Clyde shrugged.

Craig sighed, “so your dad is okay if you kill someone?”

“Well yeah...I mean...he killed people before, so it should be fine for me too,” Clyde said.

“...Have you...actually killed someone?” Craig asked.

“Well...no...n-not yet. I just...never found the reason to kill...anyone...yet. B-but if I do find someone that irks me the wrong way, I’ll definitely kill them,” Clyde said.

“Even sirens?” Craig asked.

Clyde’s eyes darkened, “as much as I hate those creatures...killing them ain’t that easy, and trying to kill them would be a waste of a good cannonball,” Clyde said.

“....” Though Craig didn’t really know much about sirens, and the only one he knew besides Tweek was Fang, who Craig didn’t like to begin with, he wasn’t sure if what all the pirates were saying about sirens were really true. Even with Fang, the reason Craig disliked him was out of jealousy if anything else.

“You wanna ask me why I hate sirens, Tucker?” Clyde asked.

“Not really,” Craig said. Even if he was a bit curious, he didn’t really care. The only thing he actually cared about was finding Tweek and going back to the island with him.

“I see...well even if you ask, I won’t tell you, so there,” Clyde said, trying to sound stubborn. Craig just rolled his eyes, really seeing how childish this supposed bloodthirsty pirate was. “But you know...since I answered some of your questions, it would be fair that you answer mine.”

Craig sighed, knowing the young captain will force him to answer whether he wanted to or not. “Fine, what?”

Clyde smiled, “what exactly is your relationship with that siren you care so much about, hm?” The captain asked.

Craig blushed, wanting to say what Tweek was to him, but stopped himself before he got ahead of himself. Craig then remembered what Tweek told him when he confessed his true feelings for the siren, the rejection, how Craig ran from him, and how Craig ended up on the pirate ship with these strange pirates.

“....He’s...my friend...and guardian,” Craig said.

“Friend? Guardian? No such thing,” Clyde snickered.

Craig huffed, “it doesn’t matter what you think, Tweek is a good friend to me. He’s actually...my best friend...and my only friend,” Craig said. He remembered all the children he used to play with back home, but ever since his mom died and his dad married Lola, things got complicated and Craig stopped hanging around with all the kids. Eventually, everyone didn’t want to be around him, even started making up rumors about him when Lola was the sole caretaker of Craig.

“...You’re in love with that siren, aren’t you?” Clyde smirked.

Craig blushed angrily, “so what if I am? You gonna judge me for that too? Say that loving a siren is not a good idea? That I’m an idiot for liking him? If that’s the case, I don’t want to hear it!” Craig huffed, “...besides...it’s not like he’ll return my feelings anyways,” Craig sighed.

“I see...rejected weren’t you? Oh I know the feeling,” Clyde said.

“You...you do?” Craig asked.

“Aye. It was when I was a bit younger...I remember my father taking me to this one particular island. An island with...fairies,” Clyde said.

“Fairies? Come on,” Craig rolled his eyes.

“Fairies be real, Tucker. Though, they aren’t anything like what you read in your story books. These fairies are human size, and they can make anyone fly, but don’t grant wishes,” Clyde said.

“Please, I bet you’ll tell me that mermaids are real too, huh?”

“Hmph, they aren’t...but if they were, I’d gladly have them around than those nasty sirens, bleh,” Clyde sighed. “But I’m telling you, Tucker, just as real as sirens be...fairies are real too, and I once fell for the most beautiful fairy there, but at last...no matter how many times I show my love for her, she rejected me, calling me childish,” Clyde pouted. “I tried to prove to her I wasn’t childish, that I’ll be a real man one day, heck...I’ll be a real pirate soon, but before I could say anything, my father and his crew had to leave, so it was the end of my love. Never got to see her again,” Clyde sighed.

“....So...you kept trying to go after her...even when she rejected you?” Craig asked.

“Pretty much. Love makes you do crazy things, boy, and if it’s true love...well...doesn’t really make sense to give up so easily. The only time you have to give up is when it actually starts hurting the one you love, but I know that she only rejected me because she didn’t see me as a real man, but one day...one day...I’ll find that island of fairies again...and I’ll find her...and prove to her that I’ve become a man,” Clyde smiled.

“You’re like what, twelve? I highly doubt she’ll consider you a man, even if you are the captain of this ship,” Craig sighed.

“A Debbie downer is what you are, huh?” Clyde pouted, “but believe me Tucker, if you truly love that siren, you might want to try again, not that I really think loving a filthy siren is a good idea to begin with, but what do I know. Maybe your siren is different...or maybe you’ll end up being eaten in the end, doesn’t matter to me. For all I know, you’re still a poophead,” Clyde said.

“Takes a real man to call someone a poophead,” Craig said sarcastically.

“S-shut up!” Clyde frowned, “Otherwise I’ll keelhaul you.”

“Whatever you say, captain,” Craig sighed.

“Hmph, whatever. As soon as we reach land, you better hope that siren shows up soon. I’m not a patient man you know,” Clyde said.

“Oh, so you’re just gonna kill me in the end if he doesn’t show up?”

“No...but I’ll make you clean the bucket,” Clyde smirked.

“Bucket? That’s it?”

“It’s a special bucket,” Clyde said.

“Special? How is a bucket special?” Craig asked.

“Our men use it when they have to...you know…”

“....”

“What do you expect us to do? Hold it in while we’re in the middle of the ocean, not sure when we’ll reach land? And let’s just say, Big Tim has an upset stomach all the time, so it fills up quite a lot,” Clyde said.

Craig paled when he realized what the captain was talking about, and he nearly wanted to gag from the thought. “You son of a…” Craig growled as he glared at the captain.

Clyde patted Craig on the shoulder with the back of his hook hand, then he began walking away. “Better hope that siren boyfriend of yours show up soon, cause once we gather our supplies and got everything we need, we leave the next morning.” With that, Clyde walked away.

“...Asshole,” Craig sighed, he took another bite of his bread and looked at the water, slightly enjoying the smell of the ocean and the cool breeze against his face. Still, Craig couldn’t help but hope that Tweek will find him soon, he really missed him, and he wondered if Tweek missed him as well. “Wherever you are, Tweek, please hurry,” Craig said, praying that Tweek was alright, and was searching for him as best as he could.

* * *

By the time the ship reached land, Criag looked over and saw they were docking near a small town he doesn’t recognize. He looked over the ship and saw many merchants selling a lot of things that used to be sold back at his old home, but he also saw many foods and items that he never seen in real life, only heard about from what his father and uncle used to tell him.

“What is this place?”

“Lily Town,” Clyde said.

“Lily town?”

“Yep, the town originally was known for selling lots of lilies since they all grown here, but after more people moved in, they started selling other things, and only a few areas of this town still grows lilies. They decided to name the town after lilies in honor of the first generation who founded the land,” Clyde said.

“You seem to know a lot about this place,” Craig said.

“Of course, dad said that a good pirate must have knowledge of the lands you find yourself, unless the land has never been discovered. It makes it easier to know the customs, who to trust, and to avoid anything that would cause problems later on,” Clyde said.

“Wow...for someone who looks like he wets their own bed, you’re surprisingly knowledgeable,” Craig commented.

Clyde fumed, “I don’t wet the bed! ...At least...I haven’t since I was five...b-but I’m good at not wetting the bed now these days!” Clyde exclaimed.

“Uh huh,” Craig rolled his eyes and looked at all the people selling so many things. Craig remembered how his dad would sometimes bring back some of the stuff he brought with him from the towns and islands he visited. Craig really missed those days.

“Quit your gazing and come on. We’re gonna need all the hands we can get in gathering supplies, then we’re gonna need to find a place to sleep for the night,” Clyde said.

“Wouldn’t it make sense to just sleep on the ship?” Craig asked.

“True, but after sleeping on a giant rocking boat for long periods of time, you tend to get sick of it and you tend to miss the comfort of sleeping in an actual room with a soft bed,” Clyde said.

“....Okay, I see your point here,” Craig said.

“Alright men, put down the sails and drop the anchor,” Clyde exclaimed. His men got to work and Clyde grabbed Craig’s arm and started pulling him along, “as for you, you’re sticking close to me. I’m gonna keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t try escaping.”

Craig rolled his eyes, “where exactly would I escape to? I don’t know where we are, I don’t know where to go, and I don’t even have anything to escape in. I’m pretty much stuck with you, even if I don’t want to,” Craig said.

“Still, whenever my dad captured someone, they always try to make a run for it. Dad ended up shooting them in the back when they are two feet away from him,” Clyde said. “He then told me that if I ever capture a prisoner, make sure they don’t try escaping, it would be a waste of a good bullet if I have to constantly shoot them all the time.”

“Okay, noted,” Craig sighed.

Once everything was finished, Clyde, Craig, and the ten men all got off the ship and started walking around in town. Half of Clyde’s men separated to get supplies, a few walked away to find a place for them to stay for the night, and the rest walked with Clyde, acting like bodyguards, something Craig noticed.

“....We should probably get you some new clothes, Tucker. Your current clothes look...tattered and small for you,” Clyde pointed out.

Craig looked down at himself and frowned. Sure, the clothes weren’t in the best of shape, but what did the young captain expect from him? Most of the clothes he wore was things that Tweek either found in the ocean or managed to steal if it was possible, so of course finding any new clothes that would fit him, let alone stay dry and clean was close to impossible for Craig.

“Briggs, get him some new clothes to wear.”

“Aye, captain,” Briggs said before walking off with a small sack of what Craig can only assumed was money.

“Alright men, let’s look around and see if we can get ourselves something to eat,” Clyde said.

“Aye, captain!” The men cheered.

The group started walking around, probably to find a restaurant or a place that sells food. As Craig was being dragged along, he looked around, seeing all the calm looks of people, children playing, families enjoying a nice walk together, and people looking quite pleasant.

Of course, Craig couldn’t help but compare them to the people back home. He remembered how all his neighbors and townspeople were like these people, smiling, pleasant looking, always looking friendly, but Criag knew it was all a lie the moment he finally opened his eyes. He wondered if all these people were lying as well.

“Oh, let’s go in that one!” Clyde said, excitedly.

Craig looked up and saw what looked like an Italian themed restaurant. “Why there?” Craig asked.

“They have the best color maps, and dad would always take me here whenever we stop by this place,” Clyde said excitedly, “come on, let’s go and get ourselves a table!”

“....” Craig still couldn’t believe that this kid was a captain of pirates, who weren’t even kids themselves, they were full grown adults. Then again, judging from the excited looks on the men, they were almost as childish looking as Clyde.

The group headed inside and all sat down at a large table. Craig noticed that a lot of people were looking their way, but don’t seem troubled or anything. Now that he thought about it, the people outside also didn’t take notice of them when they arrived.

“Everyone seems...calm with the fact that pirates are sitting among them,” Craig said.

“That’s because we come here a lot and they know we’re not one of those vicious pirates that would go around stealing and raping, we’re actually more gentlemen like,” Clyde said.

Craig was getting more and more confused about pirates at this point. “Are you even real pirates?” Craig muttered.

Clyde frowned, “of course we’re real pirates, aren’t we men?”

“Argh!” The men roared.

“See! We got the eyepatches, peg leg, and even hook hands to prove it! I even got a trusty parrot to go far and beyond!” Clyde grinned.

“Okay well...I know pirates are real and have read stories about them, and you guys...are nothing like those pirates,” Craig said.

“We still look for treasure and do some killing,” Clyde said.

“There’s more to being a pirate then killing people and getting treasure,” Craig sighed.

“Here are your drinks, gentlemen, we’ll bring your meals shortly,” the waitress said before putting the drinks down and leaving.

“You know Tucker, I’m kinda getting sick and tired of you criticizing my pirate skills. Just because we’re not like those old world pirates you read in your history books doesn’t mean we are any less like pirates,” Clyde said. He suddenly surprised the young boy when he took off his hook hands and underneath them were normal hands.

“.....Seriously?”

“What?” Clyde looked at him, confused.

“Your hands are fine? They weren’t chopped off or anything? You just been holding two hooks and pretending they were attached to your arms this entire time?” Craig said.

“Well yeah, to make me look more pirate like. I didn’t want to chop off both my hands, let alone one, and I thought having hooks for hands were cool. Don’t judge me,” Clyde pouted.

Craig sighed and just slumped in his chair, wishing that real pirates kidnapped him and actually did what real pirates are supposed to do. Craig was now questioning whether or not this feud that Clyde had with this Cartman fellow was actually real, he was wondering if any of this was real. A part of Craig might have thought that Clyde was just pretending and the men here were just a bunch of grown men that Clyde’s dad ordered to play along with his son.

This entire thing was infuriating Craig as he continued to sit among these so-called pirates.

Once the food came, the rest of Clyde’s men came back, reporting to the young captain.

“Captain, we managed to restock three months worth of supplies.”

“Very good, and I hope you remember to stock up on those cookies I like,” Clyde said.

“We did,” the pirate said.

The next group came up, “we also brought the new clothes for our new temporary recruit,” the pirate said, holding up a blue and white striped shirt, a pair of black pants, and a blue bandana.

“What’s with the bandana?” Craig asked.

“Well every pirate needs an accessory that labels them as a pirate, and you’re one of us now!” Clyde said.

Craig frowned, “I am not one of you! You kidnapped me, forced me to help you with this stupid fight you have with another pirate group, and are basically keeping me hostage until Tweek shows up! I am not one of you, I don’t want to be like you, and I especially don’t want to be a lame pirate like you,” Craig said.

Suddenly, the men fell silent and before Craig could react, the men pulled out their swords and pointed them at Craig. At first, Craig didn’t react, still believing that this whole thing was just a kid playing pirate, but when he looked at the swords and saw that they were real, he went pale.

Clyde was silent, but put his hand up, causing the pirates to put their swords down. After things calmed down, Clyde looked at Craig, a menacing look on his face. Before anyone could react, Clyde started to tear up.

“I-I’m not lame! You’re lame!” Clyde exclaimed, tears running down his eyes.

“...W-what?” Craig stuttered, confused at how things escalated.

“Just because I don’t do any of the real stuff doesn’t mean I’m a lame pirate! Even my dad doesn’t do all that real stuff that pirates in the old days do! I-I’m not lame! I just want to find treasure and make Cartman see that I can be a good pirate, better than him!” Clyde sniffled.

“Hey, come on bud, you are a good pirate,” one of the men said, trying to comfort Clyde.

“Yeah, your dad would be super proud of you for what you’ve accomplished so far! You managed to capture your first prisoner, you’ve found lots of treasure, and you’ve sailed across the seas all on your own. You’re an amazing pirate.”

Clyde sniffled, “r-really? I’m not lame?” Clyde asked.

“You’re not lame,” the men said in unison.

Clyde smiled, looking better, “thanks guys. You’re the best pirate crew I could ever ask for,” Clyde said.

“.....” Craig just stared at him, more confused than ever.

One of the pirates suddenly nudged at Craig, frowning at him, “kid, you better apologize to Clyde, he’s very sensitive about stuff like this,” the pirate said. Craig was surprised when the man dropped the pirate like tone and accent and was speaking to him normally. What was going on here?

“Um...I’m...I’m sorry for hurting your feelings,” Craig said, feeling nervous.

“So...I’m not lame?”

“....” Craig looked around, seeing how each crew members were giving him a serious look. Sighing, Craig nodded, “yeah...you’re not...lame. I’m sure you’re an...amazing pirate...to today’s standards,” Craig said.

Clyde smiled and suddenly pulled Craig in for a half hug, “ha ha ha! I knew it! I’m not lame! I’m the best pirate on the seven seas! Way better than that fat ass, Cartman! Or his lame crew!” Clyde grinned.

“Huzzah!” The men cheered.

“Let us feast and enjoy today! Knowing that we’re not lame pirates!”

“We’re not lame!” The men cheered. 

Everyone clinked their cups and began to eat happily, while Craig just sat there, more and more confused at the situation he found himself in.

“....What the actual fuck is going on?” Craig muttered.

* * *

Later that night, the group went to a nice lodging place where they will be sleeping for the night. Of course, Craig wasn’t able to sleep because he could never sleep in a place he was unfamiliar with, there were a bunch of grown men sleeping around him, and he was concerned about Tweek.

Craig would looked over at the waters, hoping to see Tweek, but one of the men that volunteered to stay near the harbor have said he saw no signs of the siren, and he wasn’t sure if he was coming or not. Craig was saddened about the news, and he wondered if Tweek was looking for him or not.

Not able to sleep, Craig got off the bed he was sleeping on and carefully walked over the sleeping men’s bodies since most of them were sleeping on the floor since they could only get one room for the night. After Craig got through the little obstacle, he started walking towards the balcony, to his surprise, he saw someone was standing outside. 

It was the young captain himself.

“You trying to escape, Tucker?” Clyde said, not turning around to look at him.

“No...I just...can’t sleep,” Craig said.

“Not use to sleeping far away from home, hm?” Clyde asked.

“Not really,” Craig said, “it took me weeks to get used to sleeping on that island,” Craig said.

“Ah...so that island wasn’t where you are born?”

“Of course not. Where I was born...I’m glad I left with Tweek. I’d rather be with a siren than go back to that place,” Craig said.

“Something happened?”

“Pretty much, but it’s something you don’t need to know about,” Craig sighed. Craig couldn’t help but think about Lola and the townspeople. How were they doing? Are they doing okay? Do they even care that Craig was gone? He highly doubt that Lola cared.

“Well I understand how you feel about leaving a home and going somewhere else all on your own. I was a bit homesick when I had to leave my dad to go sailing with my friends...er...ex...friends,” Clyde said.

“Ex-friends? I thought it was just you and Cartman sailing across the ocean with a bunch of grown men that were hired by your dad,” Craig said.

“....That’s...not the whole truth...sadly,” Clyde sighed, he looked down, gripping the railing. “My dad is a pirate...but...he’s a retired pirate, and he wasn’t captain, he was just a crew member. My dad has killed people...but...he didn’t kill them himself personally...he just witness people dying by the hands of his shipmates or his captain back in the old days,” Clyde said. “Dad eventually settled down when he met mom, quit the pirate business, started being a merchant, married mom...and had me,” Clyde said, “but some of his pirate behaviors was still around, even as I grew up.”

“....And your obsession with being a pirate...your crew...and what happened to your other crew?”

“....Well...I always thought pirates were cool, and I wanted to be like them one day, so with a lot of persuasion from dad...he let me and my friends get a boat, taught us how to sail, and we started being pirates together. Of course, dad told us to never go too far, always have one of his men join us to keep an eye on us, and to only go to the places he said were okay and safe to visit,” Clyde said. “This was fine for awhile, but...Cartman got greedy and said he was tired of going to the same places all the time, and eventually...he convince all of our friends to sail farther away from home, go to more exciting places, and find real treasure...not the ones that my dad and his men planted to entertain us. I was against it, of course, because I didn’t want to upset my dad...but...what was I supposed to do? It was just me...and them…I was all alone,” Clyde said.

“....What happened then?” Craig asked.

Clyde frowned, “they kicked me out of the group, took my ship, and left. I told dad and he wasn’t happy, not only did a bunch of kids left with a ship, unsupervised, and far away from home, but all the parents got mad at dad for allowing this to happen. It got worse when Cartman started doing some bad stuff.”

“Bad stuff?”

“Yeah...we were just pretending before, but Cartman...he actually started real fights with real pirates. He invaded many towns, stole from people, even...k-killed people. Dad and I tried to stop them, but Cartman wouldn’t listen, and he started to attack us. We wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for...sirens,” Clyde said, his tone changing.

“Sirens?”

“Yeah...turns out...we were on their turf, and they didn’t like that. They started wrecking our ships, attacking at everyone, scaring Cartman and his crew away. I thought we had won...but then...they turned on us too.” Clyde’s grip tightened as tears formed in his eyes. “They took the most important person I had that night...they took her away from me and dad.”

“Her?”

“....” Clyde turned to look at Craig with tears in his eyes, “they took my mom.”

“.....” Craig was surprised to hear this.

“They ripped her to shreds...right in front of our eyes. They showed no mercy, even as we begged them to let her go. They didn’t listen, they were hungry...they wanted blood,” Clyde explained. “They took my mom and some of dad’s men, destroyed half our ship, and we came home, without Cartman and the rest of the kids.”

“....Then how did you become a captain of your own ship?” Craig asked.

“....After mom died...I was really messed up for a long time. Dad tried his best, but he wasn’t sure how to help me...but he knew how much I loved being a pirate back in the days when Cartman and I were still friends. So...with the help of his men, dad told me that it was my duty to stop Cartman and his crew from terrorizing the seas, bring them home, and end this war between us, but to also stay safe and not get attacked by Cartman,” Clyde said. “Though I knew that dad wasn’t actually making me captain of the ship, and only wanted his men to stop Cartman and his friends, it at least helped me get out of the slump I was in,” Clyde said.

“...So you knew this entire time...even the fact that these men aren’t really your crew?”

Clyde smiled, “they may not be my crew, but they are nice guys, it’s no wonder dad trusts them to take care of me...even if they do get a bit...intense whenever I’m threatened,” Clyde said.

“I noticed,” Craig sighed, remembering how they were ready to swing their swords at him earlier in the restaurant. “So now what?”

“...Now...it’s my job to help dad get Cartman and everyone else back home and end this game of pirates vs pirates, once and for all, and I can’t do that without that siren of yours. I know Cartman won’t listen to me or dad’s men, but I’m sure they’ll listen if they know we have a siren on our team,” Clyde said.

“....” Craig looked down, actually feeling sorry for Clyde, but also understanding where he was going through. Craig lost his mother, and Clyde losing his mother by sirens must have really hurt him, and to be forced to work with a siren must be tearing him apart inside. “I’ll be sure to tell Tweek to do as you say, and we’ll bring Cartman down for what he has down,” Craig said.

Clyde smiled, “thank you, Craig.”

“No problems...captain,” Craig said with a small smile, “it’s the least I can do after listening to that story of yours, and you don’t have to worry about a thing. Even if you don’t believe me, Tweek is a good guy, different from those bad sirens. Trust me,” Craig said.

“....We’ll see about that,” Clyde sighed.

Suddenly, the two boys hear a sound from the distance. Since the town was quiet, the boys could clearly hear it. The sound seemed to be coming from where the harbor was.

“What’s that?” Clyde wondered.

“...It sounds like...singing,” Craig said, looking towards where the harbor was.

“Singing? Who would be singing in the middle of the night?” Clyde wondered.

“....” Craig didn’t answer, he simply turned and began to leave.

“Where are you going? You can’t leave! You’re still my hostage!” Clyde exclaimed, chasing after him.

The two started walking out of the lodging place and heading towards the harbor. Craig’s heart was beating as he walked fast, wanting to reach the harbor as fast as he could. By the time the two got closer and closer, the singing got louder. Craig was very familiar with that voice, he heard it many times whenever he was upset and wasn’t able to sleep, he heard it whenever he had a nightmare, he heard it when he was sick, he heard it whenever he was in a bad mood, and he heard it just for the sake of hearing it.

Craig knew who it was, he knew who was singing. Craig knew that he would show up.

“He’s here,” Craig said.

“Who’s here?” Clyde said, looking at him in confusion.

By the time they reached the harbor, they saw something in the water. Clyde’s eyes widened as he took a step back, but Craig walked forward until he was on the edge of the docking boardwalk. Craig crouched down, a smile formed on his lips and tears falling from his eyes, happy to see the familiar person.

“Tweek. I knew you’d find me,” Craig said as he stared at the familiar siren, who chirped happily at the boy.

“Craig…” Tweek said as he wrapped his arms around Craig, hugging him tightly.

At long last, the two were reunited.


	4. The Storm

The atmosphere was very tense on that little dock. Everyone arrived and were standing around, all while the siren was holding Craig tightly behind him, glaring at the pirates. No one said anything, even after the joyous reunion between Craig and Tweek, the moment the siren noticed the young captain, his joy quickly turned to pure anger.

“You want me to do...what?” Tweek’s voice was full of venom as he glared daggers at the young captain.

“...P-protect us from another pirate crew?” Clyde said, feeling uncomfortable as the siren stared into his soul.

“You have got to be kidding me? After you kidnap Craig!?” Tweek’s voice was shrill and almost pierced everyone’s ears.

“It’s not like we hurt him or anything, we even made him an honorary pirate, like us,” Clyde said, trying to lighten the mood.

“You invaded our home, you kidnapped a young boy, forced him to sail with you on your ship, and had me come chasing after you just so I can be part of you idiotic plan in taking down you enemies, over a dumb quarrel?” Tweek shouted.

“Look, we know you’re made at us, siren, but we ain’t letting the boy go until you help us out,” one of men said.

“Or...I take Craig, drown you all, sink your dumb ship to the bottom of the ocean, and Craig and I don’t get involved with pirates,” Tweek snarled.

“Tweek,” Craig pulled Tweek’s arm away from him and turned to look at him. “I know you’re upset, but we need to help them,” Craig said.

“What!? Did you forget that they kidnapped you?” Tweek shouted.

“I know, and I’m still pissed about that,” Craig sighed, “...but...they need our help, and I promised that you and I can help them settle things with that other pirate group.”

“What’s in it for us? We kill a bunch of bloodthirsty brats, and you just let us go without compensation for forcing us into this? I find this very unfair,” Tweek said.

“Hmph, of course a siren won’t help someone without getting something back,” one of the men said.

“Oh? So you think all sirens should just bow their heads to every pirate we see? Letting the likes of you take my kind, separating families, and chopping them up just to see if you’ll really be granted a wish by eating our tails?” Tweek hissed, “well excuse me, but as a siren, I don’t take orders from despicable humans, let alone siren killing pirates.”

“Despicable? What about you and your kind? All you sirens are nothing more than murderous monsters!”

“That’s how we survive. We wouldn’t be killing your kind if you weren’t trying to kill us first!”

“Enough!” Craig shouted. He looked between the pirates and Tweek. All he wanted was to go home with Tweek, but he also wanted to help Clyde settle the score with that Cartman guy. “Look, it doesn’t matter who killed who first, and whatnot. Even if a siren or a pirate killed the other first, it’s not you guys who were the ones doing the killing. So you can’t be blaming each other when you’ve never actually committed the crime that someone else of the same kind and species did. Okay? Now can we just calm down and think this over?”

“Oh, I’ve already thought it over. We’re leaving,” Tweek suddenly pulled Craig into the water and the two ducked their heads underneath. Tweek then started swimming as fast as he could with Craig, far away from the pirates and the town.

“Hey! Wait!” Clyde shouted, waving his arms around, but not sure what to do to stop the siren and Craig from leaving.

Once Tweek was far enough, he stopped and quickly pulled Craig up so he could breathe. Craig gasped for air, coughing violently as Tweek patted his back to help him.

“W-why did you do that!?” Craig exclaimed.

“Craig, they’re pirates. Pirates are not to be trusted. Just like sailors who have hunted my people, pirates are just as merciless,” Tweek said.

“They need our help, Tweek,” Craig said, trying to pull away from Tweek.

“Even if we did help them, how do we know they won’t just try to kill us both in the end? We don’t know anything about them, Craig,” Tweek said.

“Yeah? Well...I don’t know a lot about you and your kind. How do I know you aren’t keeping me alive just so you can eat me later?” Craig said.

“....W-what?” Tweek stared at Craig in shock, “I would never do that to you, Craig. You’re my friend,” Tweek said.

“Are we? You didn’t even let me have a say in this! You just pulled me into the water, nearly drowning me, and dragged me away!”

“I was trying to save you, Craig.”

“I didn’t need any saving, Tweek,” Craig sighed, “those pirates...I know what they did to us earlier was bad...but...they aren’t really bad people. Especially the captain,” Craig said.

“You can’t be serious,” Tweek sighed.

“I am serious, Tweek, and honestly...I feel like I can trust them more than with you right now...especially since...I don’t really know much about sirens...and it’s not like you ever tell me anything about you and your kind,” Craig said.

“I’ve told you things,” Tweek said.

“Yeah, things that make it look like sirens are the victims, things that are very vague and don’t have much details, things that you only want me to know about, but never telling me everything. You only tell me things you want to tell me...and never things that you don’t want to tell me,” Craig said.

“...Craig...a siren’s life is very...complicated...and I don’t...I don’t know if you’re ready to know all the gruesome details,” Tweek said.

“....I think I’m old enough to know everything about the world...especially sirens, Tweek,” Craig said. “We’ve been together for two years...and yet...I still don’t know everything about you...but you know everything about me. Doesn’t that seem a bit...unfair?” Craig said.

“.....” Tweek stared at the boy for a few seconds before gritting his teeth and looking down at the water. His hands were shaking as his grip on Craig’s shoulders tightened, but he knew he could say no to him, not when Craig was looking at him with disappointed eyes and a determined look. “...You really trust those pirates?”

“...They need our help...that I know,” Craig said.

“.....” Tweek sighed as he loosened his grip on Craig’s shoulders and looked at him with a worried gaze, “fine...I’ll lend my assistance to them, but only because I’m doing it for you.”

Craig looked at the siren before smiling. “Thank you.”

Tweek nodded and quickly led Craig back. Once they returned, the pirates were still there, still unsure what to do. When they saw the siren and the boy returning, Clyde rushed over, looking like he was about to cry.

“You’re back! Did you change your mind!?” Clyde asked.

Craig quickly got out of the water and looked at the young captain, “we’ll help you stop Cartman and his crew,” Craig said.

“You will!?” Clyde had a big grin on his face. “Thank you! Thank you!” Clyde exclaimed. He shook Craig’s hand and turned to shake Tweek’s hand, but stopped when he noticed the siren was glaring menacingly at him. “Y-you will also be helping...right?”

“I am,” Tweek said. Clyde started to smile in relief, “but...I’m only doing this for Craig. If anything happens to him during this plan of yours...I won’t hesitate to bring you, your men, and your ship down to the bottom of the ocean, where you’ll never get out and see daylight again.”

“...N-noted,” Clyde said, taking a step back from the siren. Noticing that Craig was shaking and his clothes were completely wet, Clyde quickly ordered his men to get him something to dry. “Quick, get him a towel or blanket, this boy is gonna freeze to death!” Clyde exclaimed, “and men, be prepared. We shall find Cartman, and stop him and his crew once and for all!”

“Huzzah!” The men cheered.

As everyone else was celebrating in joy, and Craig was led back to the ship to dry himself, Tweek stayed where he was, watching the pirates cautiously.

* * *

The pirates were getting ready to set sail, and while they were bringing everything they needed to the ship, Craig sat on the dock, keeping Tweek company.

“You think you’ll be able to catch up to us?” Craig asked.

“Well ships like this aren’t particularly fast, so I might be able to catch up,” Tweek said, “as long as there aren’t any strong waves or obstacles in the way.”

“You sure we can’t just have the siren on the ship with us? Makes it more convenient, you know,” Clyde said.

“Tweek can only last on land for awhile, but not forever. If he stays up on land for too long, he’ll be too dehydrated,” Craig explained.

“Fine fine, but the siren better catch up. If we have to stop every now and then to wait on him, then-”

“Then what? Kill us both? Hurt Craig? Don’t forget, captain, you need me more than we need you and your crew. So don’t be making threats,” Tweek growled.

“Easy Tweek,” Craig said. He turned back to Clyde, “he’ll catch up, just make sure we don’t sail too fast, alright?”

Clyde sighed, “fine. But the sooner we find Cartman, the quicker we can all go our separate ways. Deal?”

Tweek huffed, “Of course...as long as you keep your end of the bargain.”

Clyde frowned, “pirates always keep their word. It’s part of the pirate code.”

“You sure about that? I can’t really tell considering the pirates I’ve known are nothing more but lying, murderous thieves.”

“Will you two stop already? We’re working together, and that’s that, okay?” Craig sighed, “Jesus, you both argue more than my uncle and dad when they….” Craig stopped himself, feeling his heart aching. The memories of his family, he hasn’t thought about them that much, and yet, everytime he did think about them, his heart would hurt, missing them.

“....Craig…”

“Tucker? You alright?”

“....It’s nothing. When can we get ready to go?” Craig sighed.

“In a couple of minutes. Till then...why not get something to eat?” Clyde hands Craig a small sack of gold coins.

“Don’t I need someone to escort me like last time?” Craig asked.

Clyde smiled, “unlike the siren...I think I trust you enough to go somewhere on your own now. You did come back in order to help us, to which I’m thankful for,” Clyde said.

“....Thanks,” Craig smiled as he took the small sack of gold and stood up. He turned back towards Tweek, “I’ll get us something to eat. I’m sure it’ll be a nice change from fish and fruit, huh?”

“I’ll be fine. You get whatever you want, while I keep an eye on these pirates,” Tweek said, glaring at the captain.

Craig sighed, but said nothing else. He took the sack of gold and headed to the town, hoping to find a little stall that sold food. As Craig walked around, he couldn’t help but have many emotions going through him. On one hand, he was very happy to be with Tweek again, but on the other hand, he was worried of what Tweek might do to Clyde and his men. Craig wasn’t sure who to truly trust. He has been with Tweek much longer, but Clyde does seem like someone who doesn’t tell lies...or at least...would be bad at telling lies.

All Craig really wanted was to get through with the plan, go home with Tweek, and maybe...just maybe...talk things through with Tweek on what to do moving on. As much as Craig did want to be with Tweek, he wasn’t sure if it was possible to be with him, not with his feelings being rejected, and the fact that after listening to Clyde’s story about sirens, he realized he didn’t really know Tweek all that much.

“Hm?” Craig stopped when he saw a woman selling dried fish. Without another thought, Craig walked over and bought a couple of fish, enough to satisfy him during the trip, but also enough to share with Tweek. “I hope he likes dried fish as much as he likes them cooked,” Craig said as he walked back to the dock with the fish.

“We’re all set, Tucker! We’re ready to set sail,” Clyde grinned.

“You have any idea where Cartman might be exactly?” Craig asked.

“Well one of my men did ask a few locals of any news of dangerous pirate activity. They all said there has been some places being pillaged in the south, so we might as well check it out,” Clyde said.

“Alright. I’ll be abroad soon, just gotta tell Tweek the plan,” Craig said.

“Right,” Clyde said, “oh...and keep that siren tamed. Wouldn’t want that anger of his to be the cause of our ship sinking now,” Clyde said.

“Like I said, Tweek isn’t like that, and he’ll listen to me, so relax,” Craig said.

“Well I hope he actually follows your order, Tucker,” Clyde sighed as he started boarding his ship.

Craig sighed and walked back towards where Tweek was. He crouched down, carefully opening the paper bag that the fish was in, and handed Tweek a couple.

“Here.”

“I don’t need it. You should have it,” Tweek said.

“There’s plenty of food on the ship, and since you’ll be swimming a lot while following the ship, it’s best that you get enough energy,” Craig said, pushing the fishes into Tweek’s hand. “Now eat up, we’re getting ready to leave.”

“....” Tweek sighed as he took a bite of the fish. His eyes lightened up and he quickly devoured the fish before eating the rest in a few bites.

Craig smiled at Tweek, always enjoying the happy look on Tweek’s face when he eats. Probably since this was one of the few times where Craig actually got to see Tweek being himself and letting his guard down, and not always on high alert to protect the both of them. Craig always wondered if Tweek ever had any time to be himself, if he acts like himself when he goes hunting or when he is playing with those siren friends of his, like Fang.

The thought of Fang made Craig’s blood boil, but he was just glad that he won’t be seeing that siren for awhile. “I’ll be getting on the ship now. I’ll make sure to have the ship stop if you’re getting tired, okay?”

“Alright, Craig,” Tweek said, “and please...be safe. If anyone acts suspicious or treats you harshly, just let me know,” Tweek said.

Craig smiled, “I’ll be fine. I’m not ten years old anymore,” Craig said. Wanting to prove he was more mature than he looked, Craig leaned forward and ruffled Tweek’s wet hair, similar to whenever Tweek ruffled Craig’s hair.

“....” Tweek placed his hands on top of his head, looking a bit confused at why Craig ruffled his hair. “....You may be older, Craig...but you’re still a child.”

“.....” Craig frowned, but didn't say anything. He guessed that if he was ever going to prove to Tweek that he was mature, he had to show him. Without another word, Craig boarded the ship and was ready to set sail with the pirates on this adventure he found himself in.

“Alright men, hoist the flags, we’re off to find Cartman and stop him and his crew once and for all!” Clyde exclaimed.

“Huzzah!” The men cheered, even Craig couldn’t help but cheer with them. He guessed this is what happens when you’re part of a pirate crew, even if he was only there temporarily.

The ship began to move and Craig could see as they started to leave Lily Town. As Craig looked down, he saw Tweek was swimming next to the ship, already making sure to stay as close by as he could. As Craig took in the smell of the ocean and a sense of adventure into his heart, he couldn’t help but actually feel excited.

“This time...Cartman won’t know what hit him.”

* * *

The crew have been sailing for what felt like hours, and already, Craig’s earlier excitement was soon replaced with pure boredom. At first, the idea of finding a bunch of rogue pirates and having a chance to fight them seemed exciting, but he never realized just how the actual journey would take so long and be this tedious.

“Tweek! Are you doing okay down there?” Craig called out, looking below. He noticed that the siren was now swimming a bit behind the ship, and he could tell that Tweek was getting really tired at this point.

“I’m….doing okay...just...tired!” Tweek shouted out every time his head was dunked in and out of the water.

“Crap,” Craig sighed as he turned towards the Clyde, “can we slow down? Tweek is getting tired.”

“We are not slowing down again!” Clyde frowned, “we’ve stopped the ship like five times already, and at this rate, we’ll never find Cartman,” Clyde sighed.

“Hey, you wanted a siren to be part of your plan, so the least you can do is slow down a bit more so Tweek can catch his breath,” Craig said.

“Ugh,” Clyde turned his attention fully on Craig, allowing one of his men to steer the ship, “look, controlling a ship is very hard, especially a ship like this. So stopping it as well as making it go won’t be easy, and it might take awhile, especially since we don’t really have strong winds at the moment,” Clyde said.

“Well what do you expect Tweek to do? Keep swimming until he can’t anymore and he loses us? We can’t leave him behind,” Craig said.

“Well...he managed to find you with that...sense of smell of his, right? So I’m sure he can easily find us by doing that again,” Clyde said.

“What if we’re battling Cartman and his crew? Tweek would be too late to help if he isn’t close by and has to find us in the end,” Craig said.

“Ugh! Then let’s just get the siren onboard and make this easier!” Clyde exclaimed.

“Tweek will die if he’s out of the water for too long! Do you really want to constantly have to dunk him back into the water and then bring him back up over and over until we reached our destination? From how I see it, that would only make this trip even longer!”

The two continued to argue on what to do with Tweek and how to get to their destination quicker. While the two were arguing, Tweek suddenly stopped swimming when he noticed something happening to the water. Poking his head out, he stared ahead, noticing the clouds getting darker, and the wind suddenly picking up.

“....No…” Tweek’s eyes widened when he noticed how the waves were getting more and more rapid, and he knew that something was going to happen. “Craig! Tell them to turn the ship!” Tweek shouted.

However, Tweek’s cries were ignored while Craig and Clyde continued to argue about the situation they were in.

“Look, I’m sure the siren can last a couple of hours on land, and if anything, we can always pour some water on top of him to keep him happy. How about that?”

“No way. That’s like torturing a goldfish. We’re not doing that!”

“Then let’s just fill one of the lifeboats with water and have him sit in it!”

“That would be too dangerous! What if something happens and Tweek gets hurt? He’ll have no way of getting out of danger without jumping out of the lifeboat!”

“Well, what do you suggest you stubborn little-”

“Captain?”

“Thomas, can’t you see I’m arguing here?”

“But captain...something is going on with the waves.”

“Huh?” Clyde turned around and his heart dropped as he noticed how the waves were getting rapid and the clouds were getting dark.

Craig finally hears Tweek’s yelling from below, he quickly rushed over to see what was going on. “What was that?” Craig called out, confused.

“Turn the ship around! You gotta turn the ship around!” Tweek yelled out, panicking as he looked back towards the waves and back to Craig.

“Turn the ship around?” Craig was confused. 

It wasn’t until the waves started picking up that the crew began to panic. Everyone fell when a big wave hit the ship, causing everyone to stumble and fall.

“What the hell was that!?” Craig exclaimed.

“It’s a storm! We’re in the middle of a storm, and judging from the waves, a big one! Thomas, turn the ship around!” Clyde exclaimed.

“I’m trying, captain, but the wind and the waves are making it difficult! We’re stuck!”

“Then we got to turn the sails! Quickly, men!” Clyde exclaimed.

Everyone quickly got to work, trying to find ways to move the ship, but with the waves crashing into the ship, everyone kept falling over, losing their grip on the rope, and panicking as they noticed the waves getting bigger and bigger.

“Craig! Turn the ship around!” Tweek called out, he looked up, seeing the waves getting more and more dangerous. Tweek thought of moving the ship using brute force, but no matter how hard he pushed the ship, it wasn’t budging. “Craig! Turn the ship around!” Tweek yelled, feeling helpless as he hoped for the crew to turn the ship.

The winds were picking up, and it was harder and harder for the men to move the sails. To their dismay, one of the sails was ripped from the wind, and the other one was now loose and flapping in the air.

“Shit, if we don’t get that one tied back up, we won’t be able to move the ship at all!”

“Captain, what do we do!?”

Craig looked at the young captain, only to be met with pure fear in his eyes. Clyde was frozen in place as he stared ahead, seeing a giant wave coming their way.

“Captain! What do we do!?”

“.....” Clyde couldn’t say anything, he was frozen on the spot. “I…I…”

“....” Without much another though, Craig began running towards where one of the sails was loose. He climbed on top of the mast and found the rope that was attached to the sail. Craig reached out, trying his best to grab the rope without letting go of the mast. “Got it!” Craig yelled once his hand felt the rope in his hands. Craig quickly climbed down, holding onto the rope tightly. Once he was down, he quickly tied the rope, and the sails were now normal. “Captain, the sails are okay now! Let’s get out of here!”

“....Too late,” Clyde muttered.

Craig turned around, his eyes widened when he saw the massive wave before them. Even if they try to turn the ship now, it would have been too late.

“Oh sh-”

The waves crashed into the ship, and the ship went under.

* * *

“Oh my...poor thing.”

“You think he’s still alive?”

“His chest is moving, he must be alive.”

“I wonder where he came from.”

“That doesn’t matter right now, he’s seriously hurt. Just look at all the scars and bruises on his cute face!”

“Sh! He’s waking up!”

Opening his eyes slightly after gaining consciousness, Craig looked up, nearly blinded from the sun. Craig winced as he moved his body, and the pain got worse as he sat up, feeling his head pounding in his skull.

“Ugh...what...what happened?” Craig muttered, wincing in pain.

“Oh, you think he has that um...that uh...you know...that thing where they forget their name and everything?”

“Amnesia?”

“Yeah, that thing! You think he got that?”

“Huh?” Craig was now confused, he heard voices, but he didn’t recognize them at all, especially since all the voices sounded like they belonged to girls. Craig looked up, to be surprised to find a couple of young girls, looking to be around his age, wearing very colorful outfits, surrounding him in both concerned and wonder. “W-who are you? Where am I? What happened!?” Craig asked, not really giving any of the girls a chance to answer at least one of them.

“Calm down, take a deep breath,” a girl with long black hair and wearing a purple and pink outfit was the one to speak first. “It seems you were caught in a storm and ended up being shipwrecked here on our little home.”

“Shipwrecked?” Craig was surprised, “wait...shipwreck...storm…” Craig realized he was the only one here, and he couldn’t find the crew, the captain, or Tweek. “Where are the others?”

“Others? We don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the only one we’ve found,” the black haired girl said.

“What!? ...No no no no...that can’t be...I...I have to find them! I need to find them!” Craig exclaimed. He stood up quickly, ignoring the pain in his head and sides, and quickly left the girls, hoping and praying that everyone was okay, especially Tweek.

“W-wait! You shouldn’t get up so quickly! You’re injured after all!” The black haired girl said.

“It’s fine, I’ll just walk it off, miss,” Craig said.

“It’s Wendy,” the girl said.

“Alright. Well I’ll be okay, Wendy, but right now, I need to find the people I was with and hope they are okay, especially my friend,” Craig said.

“At least let us help you, you’re badly hurt!” Wendy exclaimed.

“Yeah, and besides...we haven’t seen someone as cute like you around here before! Won’t you at least stay here for a little bit?” One of the girls said.

Craig ignored the comment, he was more concerned about pirates and Tweek. “I’m sorry, but my friends could be hurt, and I really need to-” Suddenly, Craig felt his body being lifted up and his feet were no longer touching the ground. When Craig looked down, he realized he was floating. “W-what!?”

“There, now you’ll have to calm down and not put so much pressure on your wounds,” Wendy said with a smile.

“W-what is this? What’s going on!? How are you doing this?” Craig asked, flailing his arms and legs around, only to spin in the air, not moving forward or anything.

“Oh this? It ain’t that difficult...especially if you’re a fairy,” Wendy said, smiling.

Craig stopped moving and stared at the girl, wondering if he misheard her. “What?”

The girls looked at each other before turning their attention back to Craig, smiles were on their faces. “We’re fairies!” The girls said together.

“....You’re kidding, right?” Craig said.

“Um...no we’re not. Why would we be joking about that?” Wendy asked.

“That’s impossible! Fairies don’t exist!” Craig exclaimed.

“Then how come you’re on an island where the only habitats are a bunch of girls wearing colorful clothes?”

“Or the fact that you’re floating in the air all of a sudden?”

“Or the fact that a couple of us have their wings out and flying right in front of you?”

Indeed that when Craig looked up, he did finally notice that two of the girls were flying with sparkling wings flapping rapidly.

“....Oh my god...you all are...really fairies,” Craig said.

“Pretty much, cutie,” one of the girls giggled.

Craig paled and wasn’t sure how to react. Then again, if sirens were real, as well as pirates in this day and age, he really shouldn’t be surprised that fairies were actually real.

“I uh...I always thought fairies would be smaller...almost the size of a thumb...you know...like in Peter Pan?” Craig said.

Wendy frowned, “those fairies are from fairy tale stories, nothing like us at all!” Wendy huffed, “we’re not that tiny, and we’re way more powerful than that.”

“Yeah yeah, like we can shapeshift and stuff!”

“We can make anything float!”

“We can even grant wishes.”

“Wishes?” Craig looked surprised.

“That’s right, but only if you have enough fairy power can we at least grant you one wish. So in reality, you’d need at least a hundred of us using our magic together in order to make one wish come true,” Wendy said.

“It takes that much to make one wish?” Craig asked.

“Wishes are more powerful than any human mortal could ever imagine. Why do you think it’s so hard to actually get one granted to you?” Wendy said.

“I...I see,” Craig said. Though Craig has made wishes many times in his life, especially when he was dealing a depressing time of his life, he never really believed that wishes were true, especially when he’s always faced with disappointment after making one, either from a shooting star or blowing a dandelion. “Um...okay...so you’re all fairies. That’s been established. So can you guys put me down now?” Craig asked.

“Will you relax and let us help you? You really shouldn’t be walking around with those injuries, especially since you don’t even know anything about our home or where to go,” Wendy said.

“Right…” Craig said, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Look, thank you for helping me and being worried, but I really need to find my friends. Can you at least help me find them?”

“.....” Wendy turned towards the girls before looking back at Craig. “We’d love to...but you may have to speak to our chief first,” Wendy said.

“O-of course. Just take me to them and we’ll talk it out,” Craig said.

“....” Wendy looked at he girls, all of which were nodding their heads. Sighing, Wendy placed Craig down.

Once Craig was back on the ground, he turned towards the fairies. “Thanks.”

Wendy smiled, but Craig noticed the sad look on Wendy’s face. “Come. Let’s go see the chief, and hope we can help you find your...friends.,” Wendy said.

“Um...okay,” Craig said.

The girls surrounded Craig, looking very excited to see him. Craig felt a bit uncomfortable having all these girls looking at him in such a way, especially since he was most definitely not interested in any of them. All he cared about was finding captain Clyde, the pirate crew, and of course, Tweek.

The fairies and Craig soon arrived at a giant tree that was surrounded but huts and little buildings. To Craig’s surprise, there were other fairies there, all of them being female and were looking at Craig curiously and amazement.

“Are all fairies...girls?” Craig asked.

“Of course. Fairies live for a very long time, and are born on the first day of the new season, of course magic also plays a huge part in that,” Wendy said. “Fairies don’t really mate like humans or animals, so there really is no need for two genders for us,” Wendy said.

“Huh...so you all...never seen males before?” Craig asked, noticing how everyone there was looking at him.

“...We have seen males before, our chief...is a human male actually,” Wendy said.

“Seriously? How did that happen?” Craig asked.

“....Things happened, Craig,” Wendy said, “you aren’t the only human we’ve met. There are humans who can be nice at times….but then there are humans that can be quite...dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Craig wondered what she meant.

“....We’re here,” Wendy said.

Craig looked up, only to see that they were standing in front of the giant tree, and what appeared to be a home inside the tree. “The chief lives there?” Craig asked.

Wendy sighed, looking a bit annoyed, “yes...he chose to live in our sacred tree…” Wendy walked towards the door and knocked on it. The door opened slightly, and Wendy poked her head inside, “a human boy request to seek your appearance, sir.”

“Fine...I’ll show myself.” A voice from the other side of the door said.

Wendy took a step back and had her hands folded in front of her. She, along with the other fairies, suddenly stood up straight, their eyes were down, and all of them were now silent. The door suddenly opened, and Craig was surprised to see a human boy around his age walking out.

Craig wasn’t going to lie, when Wendy told him that the chief was a human male, he figured they were going to be a huge guy with muscles and have a powerful aura around them. Instead, Craig was met with a very chubby boy, with brown hair, one brown eye and one blue eye, and a smile that looked fake and more like a devilish grin.

“You’re...the chief?” Craig asked, confused at first.

The chief stepped forward, his grin spreading more to his face, and Craig couldn’t help but have a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Please...you can call me Eric.”


	5. The Lying Chief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for the update, I was kinda dealing with writer's block for the story, but I finally came up with something and now I'm motivated to write this story now that I finished the Bucket List and also started a new story. Yay for motivation! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the latest update, and tell me what you think! Enjoy reading!

The insides of the tree were surprisingly big as Craig stood before the chief. Though Craig had a bad feeling about Eric, especially since it was strange that a lone human was somehow the chief of a bunch of fairies, Craig knew that he needed to find Tweek and the others, but he can’t do it alone. So here Craig was, hoping to convince the chief to let the fairies help him find his friends.

“So...Craig was it? What is it that you need from me?” Eric asked as he ate some grapes he had with him.

“...Well...I was hoping you could allow your fairies to help me find my friends?” Craig asked.

Eric stared at him, “friends? So...there are others?”

“Yes...well...I hope so. We were in the middle of a storm and ended up getting shipwrecked. I was with a pirate group...well...sorta...the captain is around my age, the crew were grown adults...oh...and we were also with a siren,” Craig explained.

Eric froze, “...siren?”

Noticing the look on his face, Craig quickly tried to explain, “the siren I was with isn’t dangerous, he’s actually my friend,” Craig said.

“Friend?” Eric raised an eyebrow.

“Sirens being friendly, now I’ve heard everything,” one of the fairies said, giggling with their fellow fairy. Eric turned to glare at the fairies, promptly shutting them up.

Once Eric was back to looking at Craig, he then put on that smile that looked fake to Craig, “I see. Well it’s a shame that you’ve lost your friend, Craig. Especially as something as rare as a...siren,” Eric said.

“Um...yeah...which is why I’m asking if you could offer your assistance in helping me find my friends?” Craig asked.

“....Hm...I don’t know...we have a lot of work to do around here. What is it you’d offer me if I help you?” Eric asked.

“...I...I don’t know. What do you want?” Craig asked. It’s not like he could actually give anything to Eric, he had nothing valuable on him.

Eric stared at Craig for a bit before smiling, “how about you do me a favor when I ask you for it?”

“Um...sure, that’s fine,” Craig said.

Eric smirked, “great. Just know that...I might ask you for that favor whenever and ask you for whatever I want, got it? No backing away now,” Eric said.

Craig sighed, “yes, that’s fine. Whatever. Can I go look for my friends now?” Craig asked, crossing his arms.

“Yeah yeah,” Eric said before turning towards the fairies. Ladies, go around the island and find anyone that is either unconscious, wandering around, or dead,” Eric said.

“D-dead?” Craig’s body went stiff.

“Wendy, why don’t you go with Craig and help him since you’re more knowledgeable of this island,” Eric said.

“Yes, sir,” Wendy said.

“Good, now off with all of you,” Eric said as he sat down in what looked to be a chair made of vines and wood. Craig wasn’t sure if Eric made the chair himself, or had the fairies used their magic to make it.

In any case, Craig left with Wendy guiding him. However, Craig still couldn’t shake this weird feeling that something was off with the chief. “Hey...Wendy? How did that guy become your chief?” Craig asked.

“....It’s a story I do not want to bring up. It had to be the most embarrassing moment for all of us,” Wendy said.

“What do you mean?” Craig asked.

“...I can’t say...our chief forbade us from speaking of his origin,” Wendy said.

“Forbade?” Craig was even more confused. How did a human, let alone one who looked to be around his age, end up being the chief of a tribe of fairies? It made no sense to him, but right now, his main concern should be finding the captain, the crew, and of course, Tweek.

“...Is it true that you are friends with this...siren?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah, Tweek is a good guy,” Craig said.

“Really? Last I heard, sirens were bloodthirsty creatures that only cared about finding food and not socializing with other creatures that aren’t like them...especially humans,” Wendy said.

Craig frowned, “why can’t humans and sirens be friends exactly?”

“It’s all because of history. Humans have hunted sirens, sirens have killed and eaten humans. No one really knows who started who, but in the end, both sides find each other to be the enemy, and want nothing to do with the other. I have heard that sirens usually stay clear away from humans, especially those who are in large groups, but then I hear that humans have gone out of their way to hunt sirens, even killing the children. So brutal...makes me wonder who are the real monsters here,” Wendy said.

“....Well...even if humans and sirens have been with each other in the past...I ain’t going to hurt a siren just for surviving...and I know Tweek would never hurt me because..well..over the years we’ve been together, he never once tried to hurt me...he could have done so when I was much weaker...but he never laid his hands on me or threatened to eat me,” Craig explained.

Wendy looked at Craig with a smile, “it seems you really care for this siren friend of yours,” Wendy said.

“...Well yeah...Tweek saved me from a bad situation when I was a few years younger...and he...protected me from all sorts of danger. Tweek is my friend...and…” Craig blushed, “I love him.”

Wendy giggled, “ah...young love. Reminds me of the time that my friend Bebe told me about how she fell in love with a human once. It was sorta silly, especially since they were very young, and yet were already telling each other that they love each other,” Wendy sighed.

“What happened?” Craig asked.

“...Well...Bebe realized the human couldn’t stay with us forever, so she had to let him go. It took a lot of convincing, but she managed by telling him that they could be together again until he proved himself,” Wendy said.

“Prove himself?” Craig asked.

“Yes...I believe she told him he needed to become a man if they were going to be together forever. Quite silly since they were both still kids, but I remember how the human promised her that he will become a man soon enough,” Wendy said. “I kinda wish I had a boyfriend that was that dedicated,” Wendy sighed.

“....” Craig suddenly remembered Clyde’s story of when he fell in love with a fairy. “...A small world we live in,” Craig sighed. When he finds Clyde, he can only hope the captain won’t get too excited when he realizes they are on the same island that his ex-girlfriend lives.

The two looked around the island, searching high and low, searching around the beaches, in the jungle, in caves, and even places that were much farther away from where the fairies were. No matter how far they searched, they couldn’t find them, and Craig was getting more and more worried as the sun started to set.

“...It’s getting late,” Wendy said.

“....” Wendy looked at Craig, seeing how distraught he was becoming. 

Wendy sighed before she placed a hand over his shoulder, “I’m sure wherever they are, they’re okay, especially the siren. Sirens are known to be resilient creatures, so a storm and a tidal wave isn’t going to kill them that easily,” Wendy said.

“....Still...I’m worried about the others too...especially that idiotic captain,” Craig said.

“...We’ll find them, Craig, but right now, we should head back. You’re probably starving, you haven’t eaten anything all day. Let’s go back, get you something to eat, rest for the night, and you’ll have enough strength to search for your friends in the morning,” Wendy said.

“....” Craig sighed as he nodded, “okay.” Craig knew that he'd never find them if he was weak, so he followed Wendy back to the fairy village.

Once they were back, Craig was surprised to see a table in the center of the village, as well as Eric sitting at the end, having a huge smile on his face.

“Welcome back, Craig. How did the search go?” Eric asked.

Craig frowned, “we weren’t able to find anyone,” Craig said. He looked around when he saw all the other fairies, “what about everyone else? Were they able to find anyone? Or at least a clue?” Craig asked.

“Sadly, none of the fairies found a living soul on this island. Sorry, but...are you sure your friends are on this island?” Eric asked.

“We were together when our ship was destroyed during the storm, and I ended up here. So they must be here too, right?” Craig said.

“Maybe, but the ocean works in mysterious ways, Craig. Sometimes...some people are lucky...while other times...people aren’t so lucky and end up at the bottom of the sea,” Eric said.

“Are you suggesting that my friends are dead?” Craig frowned, glaring at the chief.

“No, of course not...but at the same time...we can’t really rule it out,” Eric said.

“Sir...I would like to say that the island is quite large, there are even areas we haven’t really reached yet. There is a chance that Craig’s friends are there, so we shouldn’t lose hope quite yet,” Wendy said.

“...Right...yes...of course,” Eric said, “we should never lose hope on our friends, so let’s hope that your friends are still alive and you’ll be able to find them in the morning, Craig,” Eric said, “but for now...you must be exhausted and hungry. Why don’t you sit? The fairies have prepared a feast just for you,” Eric said.

“For me? You didn’t have to do that,” Craig said.

“It’s perfectly fine, I ordered them to do it. After all, it does get quite lonely here...being the only human on this island. It’ll be nice to have another human to talk to and understand, unlike these girly fairies who aren’t much for conversation...at least...the kind I would understand and like,” Eric growled, glaring at the fairies. Craig noticed how the fairies lowered their heads and were trembling. They were scared.

“Right...well...as soon as I find my friends...I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to have...human conversations or whatever it is you want to do,” Craig said.

“...Right...finding your friends is your top priority, I understand,” Eric said, “but you know...someone like you...someone who must have seen the outside world for awhile now...you must have had interesting stories to tell...and you seem a lot more capable than you look, you could be useful in making this place more...homey...I guess you could say,” Eric said.

“Um...yeah, sure. Once I find my friends, I guess we can help you with whatever projects you want to do to this place...even though in my opinion, the island is kinda beautiful the way it is,” Craig said.

“Beautiful...yeah...but...it lacks modernization. Hell, even I am getting tired of wiping my ass with palm leaves and drinking from coconuts all the time. Trust me, when we change this place just a tiny bit to make survival much more...humane...it’ll be the perfect home for the both of us,” Eric said.

Home? Craig didn’t want to make the island his home. Though the fairies seemed nice and there was obviously plenty of food and places to explore on the island, he’d rather go back to the island he considered home with Tweek.

“I appreciate the offer and I am willing to help since you’re helping me find my friends, but...I’m going to have to decline making this place my home. I already have a home, and...as soon as I find my siren friend, we’re going home together,” Craig said.

“....I see...you and that siren...I’m assuming it listens to you?” Eric asked.

“I guess, we’re close after all,” Craig said.

“...I see,” Eric smiled. The smile made Craig feel unsettled. “Well...let’s just hope your siren friend is okay, Craig,” Eric said.

“...Yeah,” Craig said.

“Now then...why don’t you sit down and eat? The fairies spent all day finding the best fruits we have on this island, they even found a nice, plump, and juicy pig, so it’s not just fruits we're eating here,” Eric said.

“Thanks, all the food here does look tasty,” Craig said, feeling his stomach growling. He was so busy looking for Tweek, he didn’t realize just how hungry he was until he saw the food that was displayed in front of him.

“Well don’t just sit there, enjoy!” Eric said.

Craig nodded and began to chow down, as he was eating, he noticed that it was just him and Eric that were eating, but the fairies, they just stood around them, their heads down and not even looking at the food.

“Aren’t you guys going to eat?” Craig asked.

“Don’t worry about them...fairies aren’t like us humans. They don’t need to eat. Right, Wendy?” Eric said.

“...Yes...we don’t have such appetites like you amazing humans...we barely eat much, so eat as much as you want, we’ll be fine,” Wendy said.

Craig wasn’t sure why Wendy’s tone sounded strange to him, especially when she started complimenting humans like that. It was very strange for him. “Okay...but do you guys have to stand there?” Craig asked.

“Does it make you uncomfortable? I can have them go into their homes and not come out for the rest of the night,” Eric said.

Craig wasn’t sure if he wanted the fairies to be forced to go to their homes, he felt that they should have a choice on whether they wanted to stay or leave, “I’m fine either way...if they want to leave, then they can, and if they want to have some of this food, I wouldn’t really mind since there is a lot of it here,” Craig said.

“Craig, here’s a lesson you need to know about these fairies...they ain’t like us, they don’t have any real emotions, and they are basically pretty faces that can fly and poop sparkles out of their butts. So quit treating them like they’re our equals. If you keep being nice to them, they’ll end up being the ones to boss us around and making us their slaves,” Eric said.

“That...doesn’t seem right though,” Craig said.

“Trust me, if I never came and became their chief, they’d be running around being bossy bitches that’ll use their magic to change us into frogs or something. After all, fairies aren’t that far away from witches. So quit being nice and just enjoy yourself,” Eric said.

“...Okay..” Craig said, still uncomfortable by this. He just ate his food in silence, still curious on how a human like Eric became chief of the fairies. Something obviously must have happened for the fairies to let this guy be their chief, and he was sure they didn’t elect Eric as their chief willingly.

After eating the meal that was provided, Craig was getting tired. Eric had Wendy show him where he’ll be sleeping for the night, and Craig immediately thought that sleep would be the best idea if he was going to wake up early in the morning.

“Is the bed comfy?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah, it is. These are probably the softest leaves I’ve ever laid on,” Craig said.

Wendy smiled, “well that happens when you add a bit of fairy magic,” Wendy said.

Craig nodded, though he couldn’t help but feel bad for thinking about sleeping when his friends, especially Tweek, were out there somewhere. “You think...my friends are really...okay?” Craig didn’t want to think that they were killed during the storm, but with what Eric said, he really couldn’t rule that out.

Wendy looked at him before smiling, “I’m sure they’re okay. I know you’re worried, but you need to keep your strength up if you’re going to find them in the morning. Trust me...everything will be fine,” Wendy said.

“....Thanks, Wendy,” Craig said.

Wendy nodded, “goodnight, Craig.”

Once Craig had settled down and fallen asleep, Wendy then left the hut that Craig was staying. Once she was out, her kind smile dropped and the feeling of guilt soon came.

Wendy started walking back, seeing her chief standing where he was, waiting for her. “Is he asleep?” Eric asked.

“Yes...he’s fast asleep,” Wendy said.

“And he doesn’t know anything, right?” Eric asked.

“No...as far as I’m concerned, he still believes his friends are out there,” Wendy said.

“Good, then tomorrow...you take him around the island again until he realizes that maybe his friends aren’t here...make him believe that they’re dead. Got it?”

“....Why are we doing this to him? You told me you never seen him before, and he has no part in all of this,” Wendy said.

Eric frowned, “he was with that traitor, and what’s worst...he brought a siren with him,” Eric said.

“...Then why keep him alive?” Wendy asked.

Eric smirked, “well...I’m going to need someone to be part of my new crew...especially since my old crew ended up starting a mutiny against me. Besides...that Craig guy looks capable enough. Not too strong looking, but I’m sure enough hard work and resilience...he’ll be the perfect crewmate...a right hand man even...since obviously you fairies...can’t get anything right,” Eric frowned.

“....We’ve tried our best to accommodate you, sir...but as you know...this was an island for only fairies...so I apologize that we don’t know much about caring for humans, especially spoiled, rotten, evil little- a...ah…” Wendy began trembling as she felt something squeezing her throat.

“I’d be careful with your words, Wendy...after all...I’m the one with the fairy amulet, remember?” Eric said as he took out an amulet that was around his neck. He twirled the amulet with his fingers, causing all the fairies to shudder in fear. “Now...why don’t we go check our prisoners? Bebe, why don’t you gather scraps for them? I’m sure they must be starving,” Eric said.

“Yes, sir,” Bebe said as she gathered what’s left of the feast and started carrying them.

“Let’s go, Wendy,” Eric said.

“....” Wendy stayed quiet as she and Bebe followed Eric back to the tree that Eric had made his home. Once inside, Eric snapped his fingers, ordering Wendy to use her magic. She sighed as he raised her hand, and the ground began to shake before a staircase appeared in front of them.

The three then journeyed down the stairs until they were in what appeared to be an underground dungeon. The moment they stepped inside, shouts and screams were being hurled at the chief. Within the cell were a bunch of boys, a one with red hair, one with black hair, one with dark skin, one who was crippled around the legs, one wearing a mask over his face, and a small blonde boy with a scar over his left eye. It wasn’t just them in the cells though, Clyde, the crew, and Tweek were in there with them as well.

“Cartman! Get us out of here, now!”

“Why Kyle! Of course. I would love to get you out...oh wait...why should I let you out when you and everyone else decided to overthrow me as your captain,” Eric glared at the redhead boy.

“Cartman, this isn’t right! You shouldn’t be controlling these innocent fairies like that!” A black haired boy said, he looked at Wendy with concerned eyes.

“Oh Stan, already fallen in love with the fairies? Or...one of them at least?” Eric said as he eyed Wendy, who stayed perfectly silent and dared not to look at the other humans, let alone the black haired one. “I don’t see why you’re against this...especially when you already have blood on your hands,” Eric said.

“Only because you gave us no choice, fat ass,” A dark skin boy said, glaring at the fat chief. “You were the only one that knew how to get home, and had the key to all the food and treasure! We knew that if we didn’t listen to you, we’d starve to death right after you abandon us on a deserted island or something!”

“Why Token...I would never! A captain always gives his crew whatever he wanted...and honestly...I gave you a choice in the beginning...remember? You all chose to be part of my crew...go on better adventures, and find the best treasure. You all decided to not follow Clyde when you realized that all of his adventures were already preselected by his fucking dad. So whose fault is that now? Hm? You could have stayed with Clyde and been boring pirates, but now...I made you all real pirates, and real pirates get their hands dirty, kill a few people, destroy homes, and...take over a magical village right from under their noses,” Eric smirked, “and yet...all of you jerks decided you didn’t want to take over the fairies...because you let your dicks do all the thinking now,” Eric said.

“W-w-well y-you have t-t-to admit that the f-f-fairies are q-q-quite lovely,” Jimmy said.

“Jimmy, I don’t need your fucking input here, okay bud?” Eric huffed. He then turned towards his newest prisoners, “what’s with the long face, Clyde? You gonna cry? I remember how much of a crybaby you were. Tch...some pirate you are.”

Clyde glared at him as he got up, but the chains around his feet and hands made it hard for him to step closer, “where’s Craig?”

“Oh? You mean the kid you dragged into our little war because you were afraid of losing again? Don’t worry...he knows nothing about this...doesn’t know who I really am, let alone where you guys are,” Eric said. “You really think...you could have stopped me by bringing him here? Bringing the only human alive that can control sirens?”

Clyde glared at him, “he chose to help us...and when he finds out what you’ve done to us, he’s gonna-”

“He isn’t going to do anything, not when you die a slow and painful death. Once he thinks you’re all dead, he’ll soon forget all about you, and me, the fairies, and him...will create a new ship, a better ship, we’ll get off of this island...and we’ll go on more pirate adventures...while all of you traitors stay here and die,” Eric said.

“Why not kill us now then, hm?” Kyle asked, glaring at Eric.

“Because Kyle...where’s the fun in that? A slow death is better than a quick one,” Eric chuckled. Eric then turned towards Clyde, “you really think you could have stopped me? Take back your old ship? Take the gold we found? And become the captain again? Well guess what Clyde? Without that siren boy, you can’t do anything now, especially with those chains around you. Your ship is mine now...and once I have it fixed, I’ll take the treasure, all the food, and take everyone on here except for you guys off the island...and we’ll continue to cause some mayhem on the ocean. All while you...become a failure...and die here...not even close to stopping me,” Eric said.

“...You won’t get away with this…” Clyde said.

“Oh...well I have,” Eric smirked. He stood up straight and then looked down at the creature laying half dead next to Clyde and his crew. “Boy, I guess sirens do need to be hydrated more often. Wendy, would you do the honors?”

“....” Wendy quickly grabbed the bucket of sea water, she used her magic to take out a large enough water bubble from the bucket and threw it at Tweek, who was gasping and trying to stay alive.

“A-ah…” Tweek gasped as he felt a bit better from being on dry land for so long, he coughed and groaned from not having enough water on him. Once Tweek was a bit better, he lifted his head and glared at Eric. “You...give him back...give him back!” Tweek shrieked as he crawled towards the bars and tried to lunge for him, but Eric simply stepped back and just stared at the siren in amusement. 

“Wow...you really do care for Craig, hm? Man...you must be pissed that he has no idea where you are or what I’m doing with you and these traitors,” Eric said.

“Shut up and let me go, now! I don’t care what you do to these humans, but if you hurt Craig, I will end you,” Tweek said.

“Don’t worry about him, siren. He’s perfectly safe and oblivious to anything, and soon...he’ll think you’re dead. So might as well say your goodbyes cause...you’re not going to be seeing him again,” Eric said, “of course...if you do as I say...I might let you go and you can be with your boyfriend again,” Eric said.

“I will never do such a thing,” Tweek growled.

Eric frowned, “find...it would have been cool to have a siren be in my crew...but considering how bad tempered and monstrous you things are...I don’t want to risk you trying to eat me, so...I guess I’ll take Craig, he seems like a worthy pirate to me,” Eric said.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Tweek exclaimed, “let me out! Let me out!” Tweek’s screaming hurted everyone’s ears, causing all of them to cover them. Eric just stood there, glaring at the siren.

“Shut up. I won’t hurt Craig...but I won’t hesitate to hurt you. If you don’t calm down and stop...I will kill him...right in front of you,” Eric said. Eric was about to leave, but Wendy stopped him.

“Shouldn’t...we at least keep the siren hydrated? Keep him alive just in case?” Wendy asked.

“Why?” Eric frowned.

“Well...considering the siren and Craig are close...if you can get Craig to be on your side...he can probably convince the siren to do whatever you want,” Wendy said.

“As if that will work,” Eric said.

“True it’ll be hard to keep the siren’s mouth from saying anything, but...he might shut up if you threatened to kill Craig if he speaks one word about what you were really doing,” Wendy said.

“...Not a bad idea…” Eric smirked, “guess you fairies are more than just pretty faces,” Eric said. Wendy frowned at the words, but didn’t say anything. “Alright. Keep the siren alive for now...who knows...he might end up eating everyone in the cell if he gets hungry,” Eric chuckled as he stared at everyone. They all glared at him, but then looked at the angry siren who was ready to get blood on his hands. Clyde, wasn’t afraid though, he simply glared at Eric, wishing he was free so he couldn’t take him down. “Well boys...I have much work to do. I’ll see you all tomorrow...if I haven’t forgotten that is,” Eric chuckled as he started leaving. “Bebe, remember to leave them their scraps and then help me with the bath, and Wendy, don’t forget to give the siren his own personal water bubble, big enough for him to be inside and stay alive,” Eric said.

“Yes, sir,” Wendy said.

Bebe looked at the group before she started dumping all the food scraps she gathered on the floor in front of them. She didn’t make any eye contact with any of them.

“Bebe…”

“...” Bebe looked up as she saw Clyde, who looked at her with sad eyes.

“How could you?”

“...It’s not like I have a choice, Clyde...I’m really sorry,” Bebe said.

“But you can help us...can’t you? Just let us go,” Clyde said.

“I can’t,” Bebe said, tears in her eyes, “why did you have to come back here? It would have been better for you if you just stayed away and forgotten all about me and this place,” Bebe then left without saying another word.

“Bebe! Bebe!” Clyde called out.

“Forget it, Clyde...she’s afraid. As long as Eric has our amulet around his neck...he’s our chief...and we must follow,” Wendy said as she made the giant water bubble and carefully made it strong enough for Tweek to go in and out without breaking the bubble. “There. Better?”

“No...I’d rather be cooked alive right now if I don’t get out of here and find Craig!” Tweek exclaimed.

“As the chief said, he’s alive and well, and if you really care about him and want to see him...then you should just listen to Eric and do as he says...only then can I promise for both of your safety,” Wendy said.

“How is this even considered safe? He’s making you and everyone else do as he says. Face it Wendy...he’s going to turn you fairies into his crew and have you do all the things we’ve been forced to do for him for years now!”

“Well what am I supposed to do, Stan? I can’t go against him...not when he has the amulet,” Wendy said as she touched her throat, “I’ve tried so many times...I really have...I want to help all of you, I really do...but...as long as he’s alive and has our amulet...there’s nothing I can do,” Wendy said.

“You’re weak,” Tweek growled.

Wendy frowned, “maybe I am...or maybe...just like you...I’m trying to protect my people and the ones I care for. So sorry if I want what’s best for everyone...even if agreeing to that fat ass isn’t the best choice,” Wendy then dropped the bucket and began to leave, “...once Eric decides to leave...I’ll be sure to open your cells...that way...you all will be able to survive much longer if you’re out of your cells...though I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get off of the island without a ship,” Wendy said. She then left.

“....Well this is great...here we are...in a prison cell, Eric is causing trouble for everyone, we’re stuck here for god knows how long...and most of all...we’re stuck with a siren that could eat us any minute now,” Kyle said.

“Shut up...I don’t care about you or anyone in here! I want Craig! I need to get out!” Tweek slammed into the bars, but nothing happened. He kept slamming into the cell, hoping to break the bars somehow.

“Siren, stop.” Tweek didn’t listen, he kept going. “Siren...Tweek!” Tweek kept going. “Tweek! Stop!” Clyde grabbed Tweek, causing the siren to lash out at him and nearly slashed at his face. “Tweek...you’re going to waste a lot of energy if you keep slamming into the bars like that. Right now...we need to wait,” Clyde said.

“But Craig-”

“Craig is fine...and I know that Craig is smart enough to figure out that something is wrong. So...if you care for Craig, and really want to see him, you have to wait and trust that Craig will figure something out,” Clyde said.

“Um...hello! Whoever this Craig guy is, he doesn’t know we’re down here! How will he figure anything out when he doesn’t even know that our ex-captain is also the chief of fairies?” Stan said.

Clyde smiled, “I may not know Craig that much since we haven’t been together that long...but I do know that when it comes to his siren lover...he won’t be giving up that easily.”

Tweek blushed at the lover part, but kept calm as he grabbed the bars and rested his head against them. “Craig...please...stay safe,” Tweek muttered.

For now, the siren had no choice but to sit there and hope that Craig was going to be okay.

* * *

The next morning, Craig was once again ready to look for his friends. So after breakfast, he and Wendy started searching around the island once more, hoping to find anyone that was obviously not from the island.

“Tweek! Clyde? Thomas! Jenkins! Geremy!” Craig shouted at the top of his lungs. “Hello!?” Craig exclaimed.

“I don’t think they’re around here, Craig. So you can stop yelling before you lose your voice,” Wendy said.

Craig sighed as he scratched his head, “where could they be? They must have washed up here like me, so why haven’t we found them yet?” Craig asked.

“....They could be closer to the beaches, unconscious maybe. There are many possibilities as to why we haven’t found them yet,” Wendy said.

“Still...Tweek was in the water when our ship sank, he should at least be fine and be looking for me already,” Craig muttered. He couldn’t help but wonder if Tweek was hurt badly or something. The thought made Craig’s stomach drop.

“...That siren...you’re very worried about him,” Wendy said, “what do you plan on doing when you find him, Craig?” Wendy asked.

“...I’m not sure. I’ll probably first help Clyde with his dumb mission on getting revenge on that Cartman guy he keeps mentioning,” Craig said.

“...Cartman?” Wendy said, her eyes narrowing.

“Yeah, Clyde said that he used to have another crew before Cartman took the ship and the crew, leaving Clyde behind. Heard they’ve been doing a lot of bad stuff, and I promised Clyde that we’d find them, find Cartman, stop them, and then...Tweek and I will go home,” Craig said.

“Home? Why not just find the siren and go home immediately? If I recall...pirates aren’t to be trusted,” Wendy said.

“Yeah...well...though I still hate the fact that Clyde basically kidnapped me...he’s not a bad guy...and it was kinda nice to talk to someone who was like me and around my age. Tweek...I like having him around...but it’s always hard talking about normal human stuff with him sometimes,” Craig sighed. “Besides...I promised I’d help, and he promised to let me and Tweek go once we’re done. In the end...Tweek and I aren’t really in a rush since we’re kinda in between homes right now because of the seasons changing.”

“....Well...if you like...you’re welcome to stay here...you and your...siren friend,” Wendy smiled.

Craig looked at her before smiling, “that would be nice...but I’m not sure if I want to stay on an island with that chief of yours. No offense...but he seems like a total fart,” Craig said.

Wendy giggled, “yes...he is, but he’s our chief...no matter how much I wish he wasn’t,” Wendy sighed.

“....I know you said you can’t tell me why he’s your chief, but can’t you give me like...a bit of info on it? It seems weird that a human, let alone a kid, ended up being the boss of everyone on this island,” Craig said.

“....I really wish I can say what he has done to get his position, but...it would cause problems for me and everyone else,” Wendy said, “but I can give you a little warning,” Wendy said.

“What?” Craig asked.

“Whatever you do...don’t steal...the necklace that’s around his neck. It’s more...powerful than you could imagine, Craig,” Wendy said.

“Necklace? Why are you suddenly talking about some jewelry that the chief has?” Craig asked, confused.

“...I said too much,” Wendy quickly said as she looked around nervously, “w-why don’t we check the streams and lakes, considering sirens are usually close to water, maybe your siren friend could have ended up there, as well as your other friends,” Wendy said.

“Okay…” Craig said, though he couldn’t get what Wendy said out of his head. Even though Wendy did say to not steal the necklace, the way she said made it sound like she actually did want him to take it. It was strange.

The two kept looking around, but weren’t successful. In the end, Craig had to go back to the village when he got hungry and tired. Once they headed back to the village, he was surprised to see a ship off in the distance.

“Where did that ship come from?” Craig asked.

“The chief must have taken it out from hiding,” Wendy said.

“Wait, it belongs to Eric?” Craig asked.

“Yes. You see, Eric also came here after his ship got badly damaged from another storm, of course, his didn’t end up as bad as your ship. Since Eric couldn’t leave because some of the important parts of the ship was badly damaged, we all have been working hard on fixing it, of course...us fairies don't’ know much about...building ships, so the process has been very slow, and since Eric has to hide the ship most of the day, it’s getting hard to get any work done,” Wendy explained.

“Hide? Why does he need to hide it?” Craig asked.

“Oh...well..Eric has said that he has made a lot of enemies, enemies that are looking for him. He doesn’t want to be found by them and getting all of us hurt and our homes destroyed. Isn’t that so kind of him?” Wendy said, forcing a smile on her face.

“Um...kinda? It’s weird that a kind chief would have enemies, don’t you think?” Craig asked.

“Hey, even a saint can make enemies because people just want to see the world burn,” Eric said as he stepped out of his tree home. “Now Craig...I thought about that favor I wanted you to do, and I thought I’d ask you about it now,” Eric said.

“Really? Now? I haven’t even found my friends yet,” Craig said.

“I did tell you I’d ask you for that favor whenever I want, remember? You agreed, and even agreed you wouldn’t take it back,” Eric said.

Craig sighed, “find, what do you want?” Craig asked.

“Well...like Wendy told you, the fairies here are quite useless in repairing ships, and you seem like a smart enough guy to know how to repair a few holes here and there,” Eric said.

“I guess...I mean I have helped my dad and uncle fix their ships a few times,” Craig said.

“Perfect, then this will be so easy for you,” Eric said.

“Yeah, but it’s been a long time, so I can’t say my knowledge or skills are perfect,” Craig said.

“Doesn’t matter, a top notch guy like you is enough to help me get this ship sailing again,” Eric said.

“Sailing? Where do you want to sail it to?” Craig asked.

“The details aren’t important, what is is that you help me get this ship fixed, and I will make sure that all the fairies work extra hard in finding your friends for you,” Eric smiled, “I promise.”

“....Well...I guess finding them will be a lot easier if there were more people than just me and Wendy,” Craig said.

“Exactly,” Eric said.

“...Alright, I’ll help you fix your ship,” Craig said.

“Great! After lunch, let’s get to it,” Eric said.

“We’re starting now!?” Craig exclaimed, he was planning on finding his friends after he rested.

“Of course now, I need this ship fixed fast before…” Eric drifted off.

“Before...what?” Craig asked.

“...Before...those enemies of mind find me! I really can’t risk them finding me, Craig. They are a pain in my ass for too long,” Eric said.

“Okay, I guess I can help you fix it after I rest a bit,” Craig said.

“Great!” Eric smiled, “Wendy, be sure to tell the girls to find Craig’s friends, and try to look busy,” Eric said.

“...Yes...sir,” Wendy said.

Eric grinned before putting an arm around Craig and pulling him along, “now...Craig...I do have some questions for you, don’t worry too much about them, I just want to see how knowledgeable you are, you know?”

“Um...sure...ask away,” Craig said.

“Great! First question, are you good at searching for things like treasure or the like?”

“Um...well I was good at scavenger hunts when I was little…” Craig said.

“That’s great,” Eric smiled, “next question, how good are you with navigation?”

Wendy stood there, feeling bad as to what Eric was planning.

* * *

The next few days have been very busy for Craig. He would help fix Eric’s ship with what little tools and supplies they had, Craig would then look around the island with the fairies in hopes of finding his friends, and then he’d go back to helping Eric before it got late and he was too tired to do much of anything else. At first, Craig was glad for the distraction of hopelessness when the fairies came back with no clues of his friends’ whereabouts, and as the days went by, he was getting anxious.

“Don’t worry, Craig! I’m sure your friends will be fine,” Eric said as he carried the two planks of wood before placing them down.

“Yeah...but it’s been awhile now...I’m pretty sure everyone has searched everywhere on this entire island twice. There’s no way no one found them yet,” Craig said.

“Maybe they aren’t on the island? Maybe they’re on another island...or at the bottom of the sea,” Eric said.

“Don’t forget, I was also with a siren, and I know that Tweek would never stop finding me,” Craig said.

“Well that’s the thing with sirens...they’re unpredictable,” Eric said. “Anything could have happened, Craig. The siren got hurt, the siren ended up on another island far away from here, or maybe...the siren killed your other friends and is too ashamed to find you, knowing how’d you’d be disappointed in him,” Eric said.

“That...doesn’t sound like Tweek. Even if he doesn’t like Clyde and the others...he knows not to hurt them, even if I’m not around,” Craig said.

“Well who knows what that siren is thinking, all we need to know is-”

“Sir! We uh...have a problem,” Wendy said as she rushed towards the two.

“Problem?” Eric asked.

“Yes...from...within your home? It seems a wild animal has died in there,” Wendy said.

Eric seemed to realize what Wendy meant and quickly got up, “Craig, why don’t you keep working? I’ll be back,” Eric said.

“Really? Over a dead animal in your tree?” Craig asked.

“Well you know dead stuff smells really bad and I don’t want it stinking up the place I consider home. Don’t worry, it won’t be too long,” Eric said as he left.

Once Wendy and Eric were gone, they quickly headed straight for the dungeon where the others were. Once inside, Eric cursed when he found the siren, laying on the ground, eyes clothes, and looked dead.

“I found him like this earlier when I came to feed the prisoners. He must have let himself dry out by not going back into the bubble I made for him,” Wendy said, “I tried everything to bring him back to life, but no matter how much water I splashed on him, he hasn’t moved,” Wendy said.

“....” Eric sighed, “oh well, who cares? It’s a stupid siren anyways,” Eric said.

“But...what about Craig? He’ll be very upset if he finds out that his siren is dead and it’s your fault that he’s like this,” Wendy said.

“Me? Don’t forget, you are involved in this too, so don’t think you can shift the entire blame on me, Wendy,” Eric huffed.

“...Yes...sir,” Wendy said, looking at the siren, feeling sorry for it. “What should we do with it?” Wendy asked.

“....Hey boys? How about some sushi?” Eric chuckled.

“Don’t even fucking joke with that, Cartman!” Kyle said, “he wouldn’t be dead if you’d stop being such a fucking lunatic!” Kyle exclaimed.

“No. None of this would be happening if you didn’t tell the others to try and take the captain title away from me. As if a fucking jew like you would make a good captain, please,” Eric said. Eric then opened the cell door while Wendy made sure to keep the others away. “Alright, get the siren out, don’t want him stinking up the place. Though it would be perfect torture for you assholes, considering I have to be down here every now and then, I do not want to smell a dead siren’s rotting corpse,” Eric said. He was about to grab Tweek by the tail, but Tweek suddenly sprang up when he was close enough and lunged at him. “Fuck!” Eric exclaimed as Tweek tried very hard to bite a chunk of Eric’s face. “Wendy! Stop him!” Eric exclaimed.

“Hold on!” Wendy exclaimed. She tried to hold back Tweek, but the moment she noticed how Tweek’s hand was very close to Eric’s neck, she realized he could grab the amulet. “...Come on...please..” Wendy whispered as she pretended to pull Tweek back.

“Wendy! I told you to get this thing off of me!” Eric kept shouting as he struggled to get Tweek off of him while protecting his face and fingers.

“Just grab it! It’s right there!” Wendy exclaimed by accident. Realizing what she said, she quickly pulled Tweek off and pushed him back into the cell, closing the door.

Eric was breathing heavily as he laid on the ground before slowly pushing himself up. He looked at Wendy with the nastiest look on his face. Wendy backed up until she was hit the wall behind her, she looked at Eric while trembling before him.

“I...didn’t mean to-” Wendy squeaked as Eric grabbed her by the hair, pulling very hard.

“Try to betray me like that again...and I’ll cut off those pretty wings of yours,” Eric said. He then pushed her down and looked at the others. “You think you could have pulled that fucking stunt with me? All of you...think you can trick me like that? Well guess what...I’m pissed...and since my ship is close to being done...I’ll be sure to leave the moment my ship is complete...and you will all die here, especially you, siren. You’ll never see Craig again,” Eric said.

“You bastard!” Tweek tried to reach for Cartman, but the bars were preventing him from getting close.

Eric stared at him blankly before turning his attention back to Wendy, “as for you...why don’t you just sit here and think what you’ve done for awhile? I don’t want to see you for the rest of the afternoon. Do what I say...and I might consider forgiving you,” Eric said, “after all...I am the one with the amulet...and controls the fate of your fairy friends,” Eric then turned to leave.

Once Eric was gone, Tweek let out a frustrated shout and hitting the bar with his fist. “Damn it! I was this close!”

“What exactly were you thinking? I told you to wait,” Clyde said.

“I’m done waiting! We’ve been stuck here for days, all while Craig is probably worried sick about us and doesn’t know where right under his feet!” Tweek growled, he then turned his anger towards the fairy, “and you..why didn’t you let me kill him!?”

“And risk the death of my people? He still had the amulet around his neck, he could have ordered the amulet to have all of our necks snapped during that scruffle!” Wendy exclaimed.

“Coward! You’re a fucking coward!” Tweek shouted.

“No, I’m being rational. If you just...grabbed the amulet, I could have helped you, but no...instead...you wanted blood. You wanted to rip his face off! Ugh! Sirens...can’t you creatures ever think with your heads and not your stomachs?”

“I was thinking with my head, and it was telling me that saving Craig is my top priority!” Tweek shouted.

“Well looks like that failed because now...you’ll never see Craig again,” Wendy huffed, “and I’m this close to being on Eric’s bad list...and I can’t protect the girls if I’m gone,” Wendy said.

“Wendy, you have to help us here. We can help you,” Stan said as he walked towards the bars.

“Stan...I...I can’t. It’s too risky,” Wendy said.

“Look, we know Cartman, and what he’s planning to do with you and the fairies...well...he’s going to make you pirates...and not the cool kind either.”

“Kenny is right, golly...I still get nightmares at how much blood stained my hands,” Butters said.

“What Butters is trying to say is that...Eric...he’s going to force you and all the other fairies to become murderers...just like how he did to us,” Kyle said.

“....I don’t want that...but I can’t do anything. It’s better to get blood on our hands than have all of the fairies die in one single day. I can’t let my people extinct,” Wendy said.

“So you’d rather be a coward than let us help you!?” Tweek barked.

Wendy frowned, “you of all creatures should feel how I feel. You’d do the same for your people!”

“...Maybe that was true a long time ago...but then I met Craig...and realized...I want to protect him just as much as I want to protect my kind…” Tweek said.

“Oh? And that makes you better than me?” Wendy asked.

“...It does...because...I would never betray the ones I care for...but you...you’re betraying people that care for you and want to help you...but instead...you follow what that chief tells you because...he holds a stupid amulet? There are ways to stop someone like him, but you need to make risks,” Tweek said.

“...The risk here is too high. The lives of thousands of fairies is far more important and a couple of humans I barely know,” Wendy said.

“Maybe...but remember...it isn’t just us you’re letting to die...you’ll soon be killing hundreds of innocent lives out there. Can you and your fairies handle that?” Kenny asked.

“....Ugh!” Wendy then left, angry.

“Welp...there goes our chance for freedom, thanks a lot, siren boy,” Kyle said.

“Don’t blame me,” Tweek growled, “you could have done something yourself,” Tweek said, “now Craig will never know we’re here and he’ll be stuck with that bastard before he plans to get rid of him, and I won’t be there to save him,” Tweek said as he gripped the bar tightly.

“It’ll be okay, Tweek. You just gotta believe in Craig. He’ll save us, I know he will,” Clyde said.

“He’s just a boy,” Tweek said.

Clyde frowned, “so? You’re just a boy too,” Clyde said.

“My age is quite different from you humans,” Tweek said.

“Yeah, but with that face, you’re still a kid like us, and in my opinion, kids can do anything. If I can be a captain of a crew, and those guys can be pirates, then Craig can save us if we believe in him. He’ll figure it out, he’s a smart kid,” Clyde said.

“Even if that is true...don't forget who he’s up against. As much as I hate to admit it...Cartman is pretty smart himself, so if this Craig kid is going to save us...he’s going to need to get around Cartman if he’s going to get to us,” Kyle said.

“....” Everyone fell silent as they all looked down, even Clyde couldn’t say anything about that.

Tweek just glared at the ground, gripping the bars tightly. All he can do is hope that Craig will find a way to them somehow.

After Eric recovered himself, he headed back to where Craig was. He put on a fake smile to make sure Craig didn't notice a thing, but Craig couldn’t help but notice how his clothes looked messed up and almost ripped around the collar, and how there were scratch marks on his face.

“What happened to you?” Craig asked.

“Well turns out that dead animal was much alive, and nearly scratched my eyes out. I took care of it, of course,” Eric said.

“Christ...that looks bad,” Craig said.

“Don’t worry, the fairies have this nice ointment they’ve made, I’ve already applied some to the scratches here,” Eric said.

“....” When Craig got a closer look at the scratches, he noticed how off they look. They didn’t look like any animal scratch he had seen, in fact...they almost looked like a combination of a human hand with animal nails. It then dawned on Craig that the scratches looked familiar. Very familiar. “...Hey...I’ve been meaning to ask you...what’s the story with that amulet? It looks really cool,” Craig said.

“Oh? This? It’s a family heirloom,” Eric said.

“Heirloom? Kinda looks...rustic to be a family heirloom. Hell...it doesn’t even look like it was manmade,” Craig said.

“Oh, that’s because...it’s been in my family for generations,” Eric said. The more Eric smiled, the more Craig saw the scratches more closely. He realized that the scratches looked like the same scratches that Tweek would make. He has seen them in all of the fishes that Tweek captured. Noticing how Craig was staring, Eric covered his scratches and tried to play it off, “something on my face?”

“...Sorry...didn’t mean to stare,” Craig said.

“It’s alright, but please don’t stare so much...I’m quite embarrassed that I let an animal trick me before it nearly clawed my eyes out,” Eric said.

“...What animal did you exactly say it was? I’m quite knowledgeable on animal scratches, and I’m worried that whatever animal scratch you could have some dire effects,” Craig said.

“Oh...uh...it was...a...squirrel,” Eric said.

“Squirrel?”

“Yeah, lots of them around here. Being pests,” Eric said.

“That claw mark seems too big to be a squirrel,” Craig said.

“Oh...that’s because...it’s a rare type of squirrel, only known here surprisingly enough,” Eric said.

“Really? I’ve never seen these squirrels when I was out looking for my friends,” Craig said.

“Oh that’s because those little bastards usually come out during the night, which is why I was surprised when one that was alive suddenly attacked me,” Eric cleared his throat. “Anyways, you hungry? Thirsty? I’m quite thirsty. I’ll go get us some drinks,” Eric said as he started to leave.

“....” The moment Eric left, Craig immediately realized that something was up.

Whatever Eric was hiding, Craig knew it had to involve the whereabouts of his friends.

* * *

The ship was finally finished, and Eric was quite pleased that they were done with the repairs. He patted Craig on the back with a huge grin on his face.

“We did it! Now we can get off of this damn island and go anywhere we want!” Eric said.

“Um...aren’t you forgetting that my friends are possibly here?” Craig said.

“Oh...right,” Eric said, “well don’t worry, Craig. I’m sure they’re here somewhere, but if not...well...we can always look at the neighboring islands. I’m sure they must be there if not here,” Eric said.

“...Well...if you say so,” Craig said.

“Good,” Eric smiled, “now...why don’t you rest up? I’m sure you’re very tired after a long day of hard work,” Eric said, “you probably want to wake up in the morning to find your friends and whatnot,” Eric said.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks,” Craig said.

“Goodnight Craig,” Eric said.

“Night...Eric,” Craig said. He then headed towards his hut, but couldn’t shake this feeling that whatever Eric was planning, it didn’t involve helping him find his friends.

So once it was dark and quiet, Craig stayed up the entire night until it was safe for him to leave the hut he was in. Craig started sneaking around until he reached the tree that Eric was staying in. Craig looked around, saw that no one was there, so he quietly sneaked inside, glad to see that the chief was sound asleep.

“...What are you hiding,” Craig mumbled as he walked around the room as quietly as he could, making sure to step around when it was appropriate, and then freezing when he heard Eric making a sound before going back to snoring loudly. As Craig walked around, he noticed that the amulet was still around Eric’s neck. Confused as to why Eric would still have the amulet, he suddenly remembered how Wendy seemed to suggest that he shouldn’t steal the amulet, yet sounded like she did want him to do it. “...” Craig thought of taking the amulet, but he suddenly heard a noise from below. Craig turned his head, and after walking around a bit, he realized there were stairs that went down. “Where do these lead to?” Craig muttered. Craig looked back at Eric, who was still asleep, but the faint noises from below sounded like someone.

Craig decided to go down the stairs and see what was going on.

The moment Craig stepped into the dungeon, his eyes widened when he saw a bunch of boys around his age, dressed up as pirates, but not just them, but Clyde, the crew, and of course, Tweek.

“Tweek!” Craig rushed over and crouched down. “Tweek, are you okay!?”

“Craig, thank god you found us,” Tweek said as he reached out and grabbed the boy’s face, “did he hurt you?”

“No, but did Eric hurt you? How long have you guys been in here?” Craig asked.

“Since we got stranded here. We weren’t sure where you were, but knew you had to be close by. We were about to find you when Cartman and the fairies found us and captured us. We’ve been stuck here ever since,” Clyde said.

“What? You were here the entire time!? And...that was Cartman!?” Craig exclaimed. He then remembered how they also said the fairies helped Eric capture them. “Why...why did Wendy not tell me?”

“It’s not like she could,” Stan said, “she and the fairies are being controlled by Cartman because of the amulet. It’s the only thing that controls the fairies.”

“...So that’s why Wendy mentioned the amulet...I should have taken it when I had the chance,” Craig said.

“We can grab it later, right now, we need to get out of here and stop Cartman before he takes the fairies onto the ship and start a whole new pirate adventure with the fairies as his crew,” Kyle exclaimed.

“Right...um...let’s see,” Craig looked around, hoping to find a key. “I don’t see anything, it must be upstairs,” Craig said.

“Be careful, Craig,” Tweek said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find the key, and then I’ll get you guys out of here,” Craig said.

“No you won’t.” Craig’s eyes widened and he turned around to see Wendy, holding what looked to be a bow and arrow in her hands.

“Wendy...drop the arrow,” Craig said.

“...I’m sorry, Craig...but...this is for my people. I can’t have them die,” Wendy said.

“Even if it means a thousand people are going to die!?” Craig asked.

“...Yes,” Wendy said, “just...please...surrender yourself and I won’t have to kill you,” Wendy said.

“Wendy...please...we can help you,” Craig said.

“I’m done hearing about your risky plans! All of you humans! Can’t you see that by risking to stop Cartman will end up with my kind going extinct!? I can’t let that happen!” Wendy cried out.

“But...if you follow Cartman...you won’t be free. Do you really want to live a life where you’ll never be free to fly, to use magic how you please, to explore places, and live a carefree life? Do you really want to end up being pirates instead of being the fairies that you are?” Craig asked.

“...I...I…”

“...I know it’s hard to make this decision, and it’s risky...but at times like this...we need to make risks. If you do nothing...it’ll only get worse for all of you. Then...what will happen when Cartman finally decides to get rid of you once he finds a new crew, one that better understands how to be pirates. I’ve seen how he treats you all for not understanding basic human needs and wants...and I’m sure that the moment Cartman has the chance...he won’t hesitate to get rid of all of you by killing you all!”

“.....” Wendy was shaking as she looked down, tears in her eyes.

“Wendy...if you want to be free...then you need to help us. Only we can save you and your people from that cruel chief.”

“.....” Wendy looked at Craig before looking at the others. She the looked at Stan who gave her a nod.

“Put the arrow down, Wendy, and let us help you.”

“....” Wendy stared at the bow and arrow in her hands before dropping it. “What am I doing? I’m not a killer...I’m a fucking fairy...and...I will not let a tub of lard boss my people any longer,” Wendy said.

Craig smiled, “then...let’s get my friends out.”

“Right, let me just-” Just as Wendy was about to use her magic to open the door, she suddenly started choking when she felt something strangling her. “A-ah...no!” Wendy gasped as she got on her knees and looked back, seeing Cartman standing behind her.

“Well well well...what have we here? A bitch trying to betray me by letting my prisoners go? I guess you don’t care about your people, Wendy,” Cartman said.

“L-let her go!” Craig exclaimed as he lunged forward. Suddenly, Eric pulled out a revolver and shot Craig in the shoulder. Craig collapsed on the floor, bleeding from his shoulder and screaming in pain.

“Craig!” Tweek shouted.

“Knew this would have come in handy,” Cartman said. “Now...Wendy...be a dear and put Craig in the cell.”

“....” Wendy didn’t listen, she tried to control her body as she gasped for air.

“....Now!” Craig shook the amulet around, causing Wendy to give in.

Wendy slowly raised her hands and quickly opened the door and pushed Craig inside. Tweek quickly rushed towards Craig, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Craig! Stay with me! Stay with me!” Tweek exclaimed as he held the boy close.

“Now...since you’re a not good betraying bitch...why don’t you go in there and die with the other traitors here? Hell...you can even die with your boyfriend over there,” Cartman grinned as he looked at Stan before pushing Wendy into the cell and locking the door.

“Cartman! You’re never getting away with this!” Stan exclaimed.

“Oh...I have,” Cartman smirked, “now that the ship is fixed, tomorrow morning, me and the fairies will be leaving this damn island and go on our first treasure hunt together,” Cartman said.

“No!” Wendy exclaimed.

“Shut up, be lucky I’m letting you live a little longer, bitch,” Cartman said, “oh...and I shouldn’t forget,” Cartman raised the amulet and Wendy let out a painful scream as a ball of energy suddenly left her body and went straight into the amulet, “there...now I don’t have to worry about you using your powers to get this door open. All of you are to stay here and die here. Every last one of you,” Cartman said. He then turned towards Craig, “it’s a shame that this had to happen, Craig. I would have loved to make you a member of my crew, but of course...you’d have to be a siren loving fucker who couldn't seem to keep his business to himself. But hey...at least you found your friends...and you’ll die with them too,” Cartman smirked.

“Cartman...this isn’t...nnngg...over,” Craig said.

Cartman smiled as he began to leave, “oh...I believe it is. Goodbye.”

“Cartman! Cartman!” Kyle shouted.

“Cartman, this isn’t over!” San exclaimed.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!” Tweek screamed.

With an evil grin on his face, Cartman soon closed the door behind him.


	6. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...if you have noticed from reading this chapter...it feels rush, and a part of that is because this is the last chapter and I just want to end the story as soon as possible. I have sadly lost interest in the story entirely, and writer's block was making it hard for me to come up with anything for this story, so instead of dragging this story on for much longer, I decided to end the story now because I didn't want to leave you all hanging. So, I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best, but I did my best since I was literally running on fumes when writing this. So...I want to say thank you for reading the story, thank you for being a part of it, and thank you for showing your support. Hopefully, my other stories will bring you more entertainment and joy than this one, and hope that all stories moving forward will be something you all look forward to.
> 
> With that, this is the final chapter of A Siren's Tale

“Help! Help! Someone! Help!” Clyde was yelling and screaming for nearly an hour, his voice was starting to strain with each call, but he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “Help!”

“Will you give it a rest, Clyde? Face it...we’re dead,” Token sighed.

Clyde frowned, “well we can’t just stay locked in here while fat ass takes the fairies and continues his rampage over the entire ocean! We have to stop him, now!” Clyde exclaimed.

“How!? If you haven’t noticed, we’re locked up in here,” Kyle sighed.

“Face it...at this point, we’re dead. The sun will be up soon, Cartman will take the fairies with him, and we’re going to be stuck here until we starve to death...or get eaten by that siren,” Stan said.

Tweek glared at him, but focused his attention on Craig, who was still bleeding badly from the bullet wound. “Easy...don’t move too much,” Tweek said as he tried his best to stop the bleeding.

“We’re going to need to get that bullet out of his shoulder,” Wendy said.

Tweek growled at her, “get away from him,” Tweek said, holding Craig close.

Wendy sighed, “I’m just trying to help,” Wendy said.

“You had your chance to help us sooner, but instead, you were a coward and let that human do this to Craig!” Tweek exclaimed.

“Tweek….just...lay off. She at least tried to help us in...nngg...end,” Craig said as he tried to sit up.

“Easy there, kid. You’ve lost a lot of blood already,” Clyde said.

“Should we cut off his arm, sir?” One of Clyde’s men asked.

“What!? God no! He just has a bullet in his shoulder! We just gotta take it out and then stop the bleeding. Jesus,” Kenny exclaimed.

“Maybe I can try something,” Wendy said as she crouched down and began to check Craig’s arm. She looked around until she found a stick on the ground. She broke off the stick until the end was pointy, and then she used the stick to go into Craig’s shoulder, digging for the bullet. Craig cursed at the pain, but once the bullet was out, he felt somewhat better. Now I need to bandage it. Does anyone have any cloth to spare?” Wendy asked.

“Here, Wendy,” Stan said as he took off his bandana and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” Wendy wrapped the bandana around Craig’s shoulder as tight as she could, “there...that should stop the bleeding...but if we don’t get out of here and give you some medicine, it might get worse,” Wendy said.

“Can’t you use your magic to open the door?” Clyde asked.

“I can’t,” Wendy sighed, “Cartman took most of my powers, remember? I’m pretty much powerless here. I can’t even fly, and my wings are just accessories,” Wendy sighed.

“Well hamburgers, now what do we do?”

“Well Butters...from how things are...we’re screwed,” Kenny sighed.

“Nnngg...I am not going to be stuck here when Craig is on the brink of death!” Tweek exclaimed as he crawled towards the bars and started pulling at them.

“What are you going to do, siren boy? Those bars are made of iron,” Kyle said.

“Tweek, please. Calm down before you suffocate yourself. Don’t you need water to survive?” Wendy begged.

“I don’t care! I will not let Craig die!” Tweek pulled at the bars as hard as he could, but with what little water were on his hands, his hands slipped and he fell back, hitting his head on the hard ground.

“Tweek!” Craig sat up straight as he stared at the siren, “please...just..calm down...we’ll figure it out. Just sit still, I don’t want you using up what little hydration you have.”

“Grr...gah!” Tweek turned and glared at Clyde, “this is all of your fault!”

“M-my fault!? How is any of this my fault? I’m not the one that locked us in here,” Clyde exclaimed.

“You forced us to come with you on this stupid adventure for revenge! You wanted to get back at your crew and that fat bastard by using me and threatening to eat them!” Tweek exclaimed.

“Wait...what?” Tokn stared at Clyde in shocked.

“Well...you guys did leave me...when you all knew that Cartman wasn’t that great of a captain,” Clyde said, “a-and as for you, none of this was your call, it was Craig! If anything, it’s your fault for telling Craig what to do all the time,” Clyde said.

“I’m trying to protect Craig, and you...you made him get hurt by kidnapping him and putting these ideas into his head!”

“He has a mind of his own, he could have easily said no,” Clyde said.

“No he couldn’t! Not with how you keep threatening to come after us if we didn’t help you!” Tweek exclaimed.

“W-well..well...maybe if you weren’t such a stubborn and mean siren, and listened to Craig’s feelings, he wouldn’t have the need to want to leave for adventure! Hell, you probably don’t even care that he sees you as more than a friend, you jerk!”

“Stop it!” Craig shouted, getting more and more agitated and embarrassed. “Just..fucking...stop,” Craig huffed.

“He started it!” Clyde exclaimed.

“I don’t care who started it, Clyde. Right now, what matters is that we need to get out of here, and we can’t do that until we all work together and put aside our differences and problems we had in the past,” Craig turned towards the other boys, “now...don’t you guys have something to say to the captain here?” Craig asked.

“.....” The boys looked at each other before looking at Clyde.

Token sighed as he stepped forward, standing in front of Clyde, “we’re sorry. We didn’t think it would go this far,” Token said.

“Yeah...we just thought we’d be more like real pirates and find treasure that wasn’t planted by your dad,” Stan said.

“We didn’t know that Cartman actually planned on pilleging people,” Butters said.

“We should have listened to you, Clyde,” Kyle said.

“....Apology accepted,” Clyde said, it looked like he had tears in his eyes.

“Come on, Clyde. Don’t you start crying, pirates don’t cry,” Kenny snickered.

“Who cares! We’re friends again!” Clyde said, tears falling from his eyes.

“That’s sweet and all...but we’re still stuck here,” Wendy said.

“She has a point,” Tweek sighed.

“....” Clyde looked around until he noticed a slim looking rock. He picked up the rock and stared at it for a few seconds. “...Hey Toke...are you still good at picking locks?”

“Uh...yeah...but Cartman took my lockpicking kit,” Token said.

“He took all of our weapons and supplies. We have nothing to help us,” Kyle said.

Clyde smiled, “well...Cartman didn’t take everything,” Clyde said as he held up the rock. He then walked over to the wall and started hitting the rock against the wall, breaking off a piece of it and kept going. Once he was done, he held up the rock, it was much slimmer and sharper at the end, “Toke, you think you can use this?”

“....Might take me awhile,” Token said as he takes the rock, “...but...I think I can manage,” Token then rushed over to the door and started picking the lock with the rock and a few sticks that were on the ground.

“Crew...we’re getting out of here and we’re going to catch Cartman,” Clyde said.

“I just hope we have time, morning is coming up soon,” Wendy said.

“Who cares?” Tweek sighed as he sat next to Craig, “the moment we’re free, I’m taking Craig and leaving, all of you can do whatever, but we’re staying out of it,” Tweek said.

“Tweek,” Craig frowned.

“Hmph, stubborn as ever, siren. You really have no care for Craig’s feeling on the matter,” Clyde said.

Tweek frowned, “I’m protecting him,” Tweek said.

“You may be protecting him...but there are times when you can’t protect him forever. Hell, you think it’s safe for my dad to let me sail the seas? It might be dangerous, but he trusts me enough to know that I’ll make it out okay,” Clyde said.

“Oh really? Is being locked up and nearly dying considered ‘making it out okay?’” Tweek frowned.

“Just saying...keep being an overbearing mother, and the boy might resent you,” Clyde said.

Tweek growled, “I can’t believe I’m letting humans like them talk to me like that,” Tweek said.

“...Humans like them?” Craig asked.

“Yes...humans that think they know everything, and take control all the time. It’s infuriating,” Tweek huffed, “trust me, Craig. Once we get out of here, we’re heading back home, forget about them, they can handle this whole Cartman business without us. We have to look out for each other,” Tweek said.

“But Twee-”

“I don’t want to hear it, Craig. Honestly...if you hadn’t ran off like that...we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Tweek sighed.

“....” Craig sighed as he sat there in silence.

After what felt like hours, the group suddenly looked up, hearing a clicking sound from the door. Token quickly pushed the door open, and the group cheered, they were free.

“Alright, enough celebrating! We need to go before Cartman leaves!” Wendy exclaimed.

“Crap, she’s right! We gotta hurry, he must be getting ready to leave right this second,” Stan said.

“Well what are we waiting for men? Let’s go!” Clyde exclaimed.

All of them started running outside. The moment they were free from the dungeon, Wendy gasped when she saw how barren her village was.

“No...everyone is gone,” Wendy said.

“....There they are!” Craig exclaimed, pointing at the ship.

They all turned and saw all the fairies getting on the ship, bringing all the supplies with them. They have a few minutes before the ship leaves.

“Quick! We can catch up to them!” Wendy said.

“Come on!” Clyde exclaimed.

Everyone started running towards the ship. Craig was about to follow, but Tweek stopped him.

“Tweek, what are you doing?”

“Stopping you. Look, they can handle things themselves. We should just find some medicine and then leave. We shouldn’t be a part of this,” Tweek said.

Craig frowned, “we can’t just leave them! They need our help,” Craig said.

“They’re pirates, Craig. Pirates are the worst kind of humans in my opinion. We shouldn’t be working with the likes of them,” Tweek said.

“Tweek, they’re just kids, like me and you. We can’t let them fight Cartman on their own!”

“Well what are we supposed to do? Cartman has an amulet that controls those fairies, and Clyde just as those kid pirates and a few adults with them! We wouldn’t stand a chance,” Tweek sighed, “let’s just go home where it’s safe,” Tweek said.

“Safe? You mean...where I have to constantly wait for you to come home, hoping you’ll bring me food if there isn’t enough fruit on the island? Or the place where I have to watch you being happy with your own kind and just...ignoring me? The place where you’ll never let me stand on my own?” Craig exclaimed.

“C-Craig…”

“I don’t want to go back to that life anymore, Tweek! I...I actually want to be with my own kind for once! I want to be with people that actually understand me...just like how you have your siren friends to understand you!” Craig felt tears in his eyes. “Face it...we’re completely different...and...and you know what...it was silly of me to ever fall in love with a siren like you!” Craig pulled his hand away.

“Craig!” Tweek tried to reach out for him, but flopped to the ground when Craig took a step back. “Please...you’ll get hurt…”

“Yeah well...maybe getting hurt while helping my friends is a lot better than getting hurt knowing that the person I love...will never love me back,” Craig said.

“....Craig…”

“...If you want to go home...then go. I think...it’s time we part ways. Go back to your siren friends...and I’ll go back to being with humans,” Craig said.

“Craig…”

“...Goodbye Tweek,” Craig turned and started running to catch up to the others.

“Craig!” Tweek shouted as he watched Craig leaving him.

Craig kept running towards the ship, hoping to help his friends, however, when he got closer, he could hear screams coming from the ship. Once Craig got closer, his eyes widened as he saw Cartman using the fairies to attack everyone, sending stones towards the group as they all duck and find cover.

“Craig! Over here!” Clyde shouted, he was hiding behind a rock with Token, Stan, and Wendy with them, the others hiding somewhere else.

Craig rushed over and dodged all the stones and what appeared to be arrows flying their way. Craig quickly hid behind the giant rock with the others.

“Glad you could make it,” Clyde said.

“Yeah…” Craig looked back and noticed that in the distance, he could see Tweek in the water, who looked back before swimming away. “...I wouldn’t leave you behind.”

“Where’s...the siren?” Token asked.

“He’s gone,” Craig said.

“What!? But we could use him! You know...use those sharp teeth of his to bite his ship or something! Scare Cartman! Use those siren powers!” Stan exclaimed.

Craig frowned, “we don’t need him, we can do this ourselves,” Craig looked up and could see Cartman, already on the ship. “...And I think I know a way,” Craig said as he started running towards the ship.

“Craig!” Clyde exclaimed.

Craig rushed towards the ship, avoiding stones and arrows. He kept running until he reached the ship and started heading up. Once he was on board, Craig looked around, only to be surprised when he saw a sword pointed at his face.

“You must have a death wish if you decide to recklessly come up here without a plan, Craig,” Cartman smirked.

Craig took a step back before he noticed a sword behind Cartman. Just as Cartman was about to swing his sword, Craig ducked down and rushed past him, grabbing the sword and pointing it at him.

“Tch, do you even know how to use that thing, siren boy?” Cartman said

“Let me show you,” Craig lunged forward and swung his sword, Cartman quickly used his to block the attack and tried swinging his sword. Craig jumped back and ducked down when Cartman swung once more, and Craig quickly slashed at Cartman’s leg while he was open.

“Ah!” Cartman fell back, dropping his sword as he clung to his leg, bleeding profusely. “You bastard!”

Craig took this opportunity to point his sword at Cartman, “this is the end, Cartman. No more bloodshed, no more lies, and no more being a cruel bastard. It’s time you step down from your captain position,” Craig said.

“.....I don’t think so,” Cartman smirked.

Suddenly, Craig felt something hit him in the head. Craig dropped his sword and leaned forward, blood dripping from his head and he started to become dizzy.

“Good job, girls,” Cartman said.

Craig turned around and was surprised to see a few of the fairies had stopped attacking the others and had come to help Cartman. They all looked ashamed as they stared at him.

“Don’t...help him...please,” Craig said.

“...We’re sorry,” Bebe, one of the fairies, said. Tears were in her eyes as she looked at me.

“Enough...throw him over,” Cartman said.

“What?”

“You heard me...throw him over,” Cartman said.

“But...he’s losing a lot of blood, and we’re up really high. He could hit his head on the rocks or-”

“Who cares!? Throw him over!” Cartman shouted, holding up the amulet.

The fairies shuddered before they picked up Craig by the arm, who couldn’t fight back because of his head hurting. Craig tried to tell them to stop, but the ringing in his ears was overbearing.

“We’re sorry...may you rest in peace,” Bebe said as she pushed Craig over the ledge.

The moment Craig hit the water, his body tensed up. He could feel the blood from his wounds mixing in around the water. He couldn’t breathe, and he was having a hard time concentrating enough to swim. Craig couldn’t do anything but sink deeper into the water, his body freezing, and his lungs burning.

What cruel irony this was. Years ago, Craig wanted nothing but death after his parents had died and his step mother had made his life a living hell. However, at that moment, Craig didn’t want to die, he wanted to help the others, he wanted to prove to the world that he wasn’t useless, he wanted to prove to his step mother that he was strong enough to not take anymore abuse. He wanted to prove how mature he has become.

But now...it seems hopeless. Here he was, drowning the same way he tried to kill himself all those years ago, but this time, he didn’t have Tweek to save him.

“...Tweek…” Craig closed his eyes as he wished he could see the siren again. As much as the siren has infuriated him, as much as Tweek has been nothing but a worrywart, and as much as Tweek has been aggressive towards the others, he still loved the siren for he was the only person that cared enough to see Craig grown, to see Craig become a better person, to see Craig as who he is. Tweek was Craig’s first love, and no matter what, Craig would always love him despite his flaws.

Craig really wishes he could see his beloved siren one last time.

Just as Craig felt his lungs about to give out, he suddenly heard something. Craig couldn’t hear that well, so he wasn’t sure what that sound was, but it sounded familiar. He felt something swim past him, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Suddenly, he felt something grabbing his body and pulling him up.

The moment he was out of the water, Craig began to cough violently and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were a pair of green eyes looking down at him.

“...Tweek?”

“...You’re okay...you’re okay,” Tweek said, tears in his eyes as he held me tightly.

“...I thought you left,” Craig said.

“...I could never leave the person I love the most,” Tweek said.

“....” Craig was shocked as he felt his heart skip a beat. “Tweek…” Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek, holding him tightly.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done. That human was right...I was protecting you too much when I should really let you handle things on your own. I’m so sorry for not listening and believing in you,” Tweek said.

Craig smiled, “I’m just glad you came and saved me again,” Craig said as he hugged Tweek tightly. “I didn’t want to die...not yet...there’s still so much I want to do with you,” Craig said.

“...Oh Craig,” Tweek said as he wrapped his arms around the boy.

“Kill them already! It’s not like they have weapons! Crush their skulls you dumb fairies!” The two could hear Cartman above them, and they knew that Cartman needed to be stopped before everyone was killed.

“What do we do? We don’t have any weapons, and he’s using the fairies. We can’t beat an army of magical creatures,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “well...it’s a good thing I didn’t come alone,” Tweek turned his head and started making a strange noise. Before Craig could ask what he was doing, the water began to tremble as heads suddenly popped up. Craig’s eyes widened as he realized that Tweek brought an army of sirens with him. “It’s a good thing I found a few of my people that were willing to help,” Tweek said.

“Tweek...thank you,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “this might not be something we sirens do...but...if it’s you...I’ll do anything,” Tweek smiled. He turned towards his people and began to speak to them in their strange siren language. The sirens shouted and yelled, as if screaming their war cries.

Before Craig knew it, the sirens suddenly went into the water and started swimming towards the ship.

“What are they doing?” Craig asked.

Tweek smiled, “let’s see if that fat captain enjoys a bumpy ride,” Tweek said.

The sirens grabbed hold of the ship and started pushing and shaking the entire boat. Cartman stumbled as he was being rocked from the sirens, and when he looked over, he panicked as he saw his ship being surrounded by sirens, tearing at the ship, rocking the ship aggressively, and just destroying the ship all together.

“Hey! Quit it!” Cartman shouted. He grabbed hold of the amulet, “fairies! I demand you to-” Before Cartman could finish, he stumbled as the ship was being violently rocked, and Cartman soon fell overboard, falling into the water.

The moment he was in the water, Tweek carefully placed Craig down on the beach and swam towards the boy. Cartman panicked and tried to swim back to shore, but the sirens had surrounded him, showing their teeth and growling at him, causing the boy to shudder in fear.

“F-fairies! Come and help me!” Cartman exclaimed as he held up the amulet, however, Tweek sneaked up behind him and grabbed the amulet, pulling it out of Cartman’s hands and grabbing the boy by the back of his collar. “Hey!”

“It’s over,” Tweek said, glaring at him, “you will not harm another being again,” Tweek said as he grabbed Cartman tightly and pulled him down into the water, nearly drowning the boy as Tweek swam in circles while holding Cartman. Once Cartman was nearly losing consciousness, Tweek then swam to shore and practically threw Cartman out of the water and onto the beach, where he started coughing violently as there was so much saltwater in his lungs.

Tweek then crawled towards land and glared at the boy, holding up the amulet, “fairies...you are free from the captain...and you can do whatever you want to him,” Tweek said.

Cartman’s eyes widened as he was now surrounded by very angry looking fairies, who had grabbed him and started pulling him away, as Cartman clung to the ground for dear life.

“Wait! Wait! Let me explain!” Cartman begged as the fairies continued to drag him along, getting ready to punish him for his terrible deed.

Once everything had ended, Tweek rushed back to Craig’s side, checking Craig’s injuries and making sure he was okay. “Craig…” Tweek said as he checked the cut on Craig’s head.

“Craig!” The two looked over and saw Clyde and the others running towards them. “Oh god, is he going to be okay?” Clyde asked.

“Wait...maybe I can do something. Tweek, please hand me the amulet,” Wendy said.

Tweek nodded and gave Wendy the amulet. Once Wendy had the amulet, a ball of energy suddenly came out and went into Wendy. Wendy let out a sigh of relief as she flapped her wings and was able to fly again. She smiled that her powers were back, but soon focused her attention on Craig.

“Give me some room,” Wendy said as she got on her knees and placed her hand on Craig’s head. Wendy closed her eyes and her hand began to glow as the wounds on Craig’s head, even the wound on his shoulder started to heal. Wendy sighed as she let go, and Craig slowly sat up, feeling better. “How do you feel?”

“...I’m okay,” Craig smiled, “thank you,” Craig said.

Wendy smiled, “if it wasn’t for you two...my people would forever be controlled by that fat bastard,” Wendy said.

“Mmmff mfff mfff!” The fairies suddenly dropped Cartman on the ground, tied up, and unable to escape or do anything. 

The fairies cheered as they flew around, relieved to be free. However, one fairy suddenly stepped down and looked at Clyde.

“...Bebe?” Clyde said.

“...Clyde,” Bebe smiled as she rushed towards the captain and hugged him tightly, “I’m so happy to see you’re okay,” Bebe said.

“Yeah...well...I had a feeling you were trying your best to not hit me,” Clyde said.

“I’m so sorry,” Bebe said, resting her head on Clyde’s chest.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault,” Clyde said as he hugged Bebe in his arms.

Bebe smiled, “you’ve really changed...you’ve proven to me just how much of a man you’ve become, Clyde,” Bebe said.

Clyde smiled, “does that mean I can be with you?” Clyde asked.

“....” Bebe smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss on Clyde’s face. “Does that answer your question?”

“Gross,” Kyle muttered.

“Aw...young love,” Butters said.

“Way to go, Clyde,” Kenny said.

Clyde had a dumb smile on his face as he seemed to be in a daze. Everyone laughed, and some were cheering for the young captain.

“Alright everyone, that’s enough. We all had a long day today, but...I think it’s time we start our next plan. First things first...we should have your ship fixed so you pirates can take fat ass away and off our island,” Wendy said.

“Right, and I really would like to go home,” Kyle said.

“Yeah man, I miss my family. Heck, I even miss my sister,” Stan said.

Everyone agreed that it was time to go home and be with their families, even Clyde agreed that it was time they headed home.

“Well...as much as I don’t want to leave you...as captain..I need to bring my friends home,” Clyde said.

Bebe smiled, “I understand...but remember...I’ll always be here...waiting for you,” Bebe said.

Clyde smiled, “I’ll come back to you, my love,” Clyde said.

“Alright, enough with the gushy stuff! Let’s get to work everyone...and someone...keep an eye out for Cartman,” Kyle said. Kyle then turned towards Tweek, “and Tweek...please tell your siren friends to stop staring at us like that,” Kyle said, getting uncomfortable at how the sirens were giving them a hungry look.

Tweek sighed as he called to his people and told them it was over and that they could leave. Some grumbled, but they all eventually left.

Craig smiled and slowly got up, “great...now that this whole adventure is over, I think I’m ready to head home with Tweek,” Craig smiled.

Tweek smiled, “yeah...home,” Tweek said.

Craig grinned. Soon, everyone started to leave, getting ready to get supplies to help fix the ship. However, once Craig left, Tweek immediately grabbed Clyde’s arm before he left.

“W-what? You aren’t still mad at me about earlier and now want to eat me, right?” Clyde said, getting worried.

“No…” Tweek sighed, “you were right...I have been overprotective of Craig...and...honestly...I don’t think I can keep him safe...even if we went back home together,” Tweek said.

“...What are you saying?” Clyde asked.

“....Clyde...this is really hard for me to do...especially since I’m asking a human a favor...but...I need you to do something for me...for Craig,” Tweek said.

“....” The two looked at Craig, who was unaware of what the two were doing, busy helping the others get supplies for the ship. “...Alright siren...what is it you need from me?”

Tweek began to tell Clyde his plan.

* * *

After fixing the ship and having a short celebration with the fairies, the crew were ready to sail back home. Clyde said his farewells to Bebe, promising her he would return, and some of the boys went to a certain fairy and said their goodbyes, telling them they’d visit, and would be a lot nicer next time.

“Goodbye, Stan,” Wendy said.

“Goodbye...Wendy. I hope we can meet again...this time...without Cartman,” Stan said.

Wendy giggled before she leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Stan’s cheek. “Safe travels,” Wendy then left. Stan stood there, blushing madly, and had a huge smile on his face.

“Alright, lover boy. Wipe that grin off your face before your face get stuck,” Kyle sighed as he dragged his friend towards the ship.

Once they had their supplies and made sure that Cartman was in the cell below, the crew sailed off, waving goodbye to the fairies, and were now ready to head home. Craig sighed as he looked on ahead, feeling a bit sad that his adventure was over, but a part of Craig was glad that he was finally going home with Tweek.

“How are you doing down there, Tweek?”

“Okay!” Tweek exclaimed as he swam as fast as he could to catch up with the ship. “Ugh...I’m starting...to think...I should take on...Clyde’s offer...to just be...in a boat...full of water! This is...tiring!” Tweek exclaimed.

Craig chuckled, “Don’t worry, the captain says that his home isn’t too far, we’ll be there soon and you can take a break,” Craig said, “then...once we say goodbye to everyone...we can go home ourselves. Just you and me...and our island adventures,” Craig grinned.

“....Yeah...you...and me,” Tweek muttered, not really loud enough for Craig to hear, more just saying it to himself.

Once they reached the town where the crew were from, everyone cheered as they were happy to be home. The crew got off the ship and dragged Cartman with them. Once everyone was off the ship, Clyde turned to his crew.

“Men...thanks for helping me on this journey. I wouldn’t have done it without you,” Clyde said.

“Aye...captain. Your father will be so proud of you.”

Clyde grinned, “guys...make sure you take Cartman, and head home safely. Oh...and be warned..your parents are very pissed with you all.”

“Great...I bet they’re going to ground us for...a year,” Kenny sighed.

“Oh golly...I hate getting grounded, being grounded isn’t so fun, and my parents are always so angry whenever they ground me,” Butters said.

“Come on, guys. Let’s get this over with. At least once we explain things to our parents...it’ll be Cartman that will be getting the bigger punishment here,” Kyle said.

“Mmfff mfff!” Cartman muffled as he glared at everyone.

“No way you’re getting out of this one, fat ass. Let’s go.” Everyone started leaving, dragging Cartman with them. Even Clyde’s men started to leave to report back to Clyde’s father. Once everyone was gone and it was just Tweek, Clyde, and Craig, they all stood there, relieved it was over.

“I couldn’t have done this without you, boys. Sorry that how things started was rocky, but just know that you are now honorary pirates. Both you and Tweek,” Clyde grinned.

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Tweek huffed.

Craig sighed, “be nice, Tweek,” Craig looked at Clyde, “it’s been fun, Clyde, and I’m glad we helped and we got to be friends, but now...it’s time we head home, right Tweek?” Craig smiled.

“.....” Tweek sighed as he started backing away from the dock and started sinking into the water, He was now shoulder deep in the water and looking at Craig with sad eyes. “Actually...I’ll be leaving...and you’ll be staying here with Clyde and his family,” Tweek said.

“...Ha ha...very funny, Tweek,” Craig sighed, “now come on, let’s go home. I’m tired, and I would like to sleep in my favorite sleeping spot back home,” Craig said.

“...I’m not joking,” Tweek said with a smile.

“....What?” Craig said.

“It’s true. Your siren has asked me to keep you with my family. We would love to have you live with us...especially since you’ve been through so much. We’ll be sure to shower you with love and treat you like family,” Clyde said.

“....No...no...this isn’t what we agreed on. Tweek...we were supposed to go home together,” Craig said.

“....I’m sorry,” Tweek said, “but...I can’t take you with me this time. You belong with humans, people that will care for you. I don’t know anything about humans...and all I ever do is hurt you,” Tweek smiled, “it’s time that we part ways...and live with our own kind,” Tweek said.

Craig stared at the siren in shock, “so...that’s it!? You’re going to just...throw me away while you hang with your siren friends? That...I don’t matter to you!? That...all we’ve been through was just for you to have an excuse to abandon me!?” Craig exclaimed, tears in his eyes.

“Craig…”

“You can’t do this, Tweek! You can’t! I love you! I fucking love you!” Craig shouted.

“....I love you too,” Tweek said, tears in his eyes, “but...we are too different...and I can’t keep you safe forever. You need to be with humans...Craig...and though I fear of letting you be with people that will harm you like those from your old home...I realize...that there are people that are caring and kind...and right now...you need to stay with Clyde, where I know you’ll be safe and grow up to be a good human,” Tweek said, “so please...you need to let me go...we can’t stay together anymore,” Tweek said.

“...” Craig fell to his knees as he leaned over the dock, tears falling into the ocean, “don’t do this...please don’t do this,” Craig said.

“....” Tweek swam over, pulled himself up, placed a hand on Craig’s cheek and stared at him, “I’m sorry for never telling you how I felt, Craig...but I will say it now. I do love you...I love you more than a friend. You will always be the first human that has ever shown me kindness...and never once saw me as a monster. You will always be in my heart,” Tweek said as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Craig’s lips. “Goodbye...Craig,” Tweek said before he dropped back into the water and began to swim away, tears mixing with the ocean water. “Goodbye,” Tweek said once more as he swam away.

“Tweek! Tweek!” Craig tried to go after him, but Clyde quickly pulled him back before he could jump into the water. Clyde hugged Craig tightly as Craig struggled to get out of Clyde’s grasp, but eventually stopped as he stared at the ocean, tears in his eyes. “I’ll never forget you!” Craig shouted, “I love you!” Tweek exclaimed as more tears fell from his eyes and into the ocean.

Once Tweek was out of sight, Craig just sat on the dock, staring at the ocean with a sad look on his face. Craig closed his eyes before opening them, feeling his heart breaking.

“You wanna go home, Craig?” Clyde asked.

“....Just give me a few more minutes,” Craig said as he lowered his head, tears continued to fall. He took a deep breath as he touched his lips, “...goodbye...Tweek.”

And so, the siren and the boy went their separate ways for the next few years, living their lives with their own kind, and yet, never forgetting about the other.

* * *

The small little town was lively, and people were out and about. People waved to neighbors, children played together, and a few were busy with work. It was always busy in this little town, but at least it was friendly and the people were very kind.

However, there was a young man, who just finished a four hour shift at his part time job. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to relax and complain about everything that happened at work.

“Ugh...I swear...my boss is trying to kill me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He had me running around, making so many copies for a meeting, and had me get him a specific coffee order. I swear, if I hear another Latte with extra whip, two pinches of sugar, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup, I’m going to fucking tear that place down,” Craig said, “I can’t wait when I’m finished with school and get my degree, then I can start my dream career of being a marine biologist.”

“Jesus Craig, for someone who basically spent parts of his childhood with a siren...I’m surprised you still want to study more about fish.”

Craig frowned at his adoptive brother and flipped him off, “screw you. I can like what I want, and I happen to be interested in marine bio...unlike you and your stupid pirate job,” Craig sighed.

“It’s not stupid! Being a pirate is way cooler than being a marine biologist,” Clyde pouted.

“Yeah...well at least with being a marine biologist...I don’t have to worry if that day I’ll get my money. So while you go do your little treasure hunt, I’ll enjoy my stable income,” Craig sighed.

Clyde pouted, “tch..where’s the Craig who was happy to be a pirate? I want him back, hell! I would like him back even if it meant having Tweek here,” Clyde said.

Craig sighed, “please...don’t talk about him...you know it’s been nearly twelve years since I last saw Tweek,” Craig sighed.

“...You still miss him?”

“...You know I do,” Craig said.

Clyde sighed as he patted Craig’s back, “you going to visit the beach today?”

“Of course...the beach is the only place that relaxes me. Even if I usually go there hoping to see Tweek...I started going there as a way to escape from all the stress in the world,” Craig sighed.

“Well have fun,” Clyde sighed, “now...if you’ll excuse me...but me and my crew are getting ready for our trip tomorrow. We’re going to be visiting the girls,” Clyde grinned.

Craig sighed, “be sure to tell Wendy and Bebe I said hey,” Craig said.

Clyde smiled, “I will...but just know that they are begging to see you again, so you should really come with us on these trips when you have the time,” Clyde said.

“I’ll think about it,” Craig smiled. “See you at home, Clyde.”

“See ya!” Clyde said as he started to leave.

Once Clyde was gone, Craig sighed as he started making his way to the beach. As he walked around, he saw everyone, looking all happy and smiling at each other. It reminded him of his old home, but it felt different. More natural and genuine. Craig smiled and then let out a sigh. Craig did visit his old home when he was in his twenties, and though a lot of people were surprised to see him, shocked that he was alive, and even asking him how he was and if he was okay, Craig never saw that place as his home anymore. It was now just a memory to Craig, and though he will always see it as a place where his family once was, he will never accept it as his home. He was finally able to put that place behind him, and even forgave a few of the people that still live there after he told them how he felt all those years ago.

The funny thing was, after Craig left, a few years later, Lola’s business hasn’t been doing so well, mostly since people were tired of Lola’s attitude since her anger and aggressiveness turned towards her customers who simply made little comments about her clothes and the like. When the abuse became too much, people ended up not coming to Lola’s shop, and eventually, Lola’s business fell through and she was forced to sell the house and move back to the city with what little money and items she had left. Heard that Lola has been having trouble finding work to this day. Craig guessed that karma finally caught up to that dreadful woman.

Though his childhood home was gone, his memories of it will never go away. He will always remember his parents and their home. He’ll always remember the good times, and he’ll always remember where he came from. Now that Craig has grown up, he’s moved on from the traumas in his life, he enjoyed having adventures with Clyde whenever he had the chance, and he still kept in touch with his aunt and uncle after he visited them.

Life was finally peaceful for Craig. ...Well...almost peaceful.

Craig sighed as he reached the beach and sat down on the sand, not caring if his pants got dirty. Craig stared at the ocean, enjoying the sound and smell of the ocean. The gentle breeze was calming, and seeing the little crabs walking on the sand and heading towards the water was amusing to look at. Though Craig’s mind was calm, his heart wasn’t. The one person he can’t get out of his head was Tweek, the siren that he fell in love with, and still does. Everyday, Craig hoped to meet with Tweek, but no matter how far he travelled on the ocean with Clyde and his crew, or how many times he waited by the beach or the dock, Craig never saw him, and Craig realized that he might never see Tweek again. The sad reality pulled at Craig’s heart, but he tried his best to accept it, he knew that his beloved siren was having a wonderful time with his people, just as much as Craig was having a good time with his adoptive family and friends.

Still, Craig would give anything to see Tweek again.

“...” Craig sighed as he picked up a rock and started throwing it at the ocean. The rock skipped two times before it sunk into the water. Craig sighed once more as he grabbed another rock and threw it as well. Just as Craig was about to throw another rock, he heard someone talking to him.

“You know...littering in the ocean is a selfish move.”

“....” Craig turned his head and his eyes widened when he saw a familiar blonde, crawling out of the ocean and staring at him with a smile.

“...Hello...Craig,” Tweek said.

“...Tweek…” Craig dropped he rock and stood up, he stood there for a few seconds before he started running towards the siren and grabbing him, holding him tight in a hug. “Tweek! Is that really you!?”

“You’re crushing me!” Tweek exclaimed.

“S-sorry,” Craig said as he let Tweek go.

“My...you’ve gotten strong over the years. Good for you,” Tweek smiled.

“Tweek...what are you doing here?” Craig asked.

Tweek smiled, “Well...me and my people decided to move here since there was plenty of fish around the area, and the weather here was nice and warm. Since I knew this town was close...I thought...I could come and visit you,” Tweek said.

“How would you know I’d be on the beach though?” Craig asked.

Tweek smiled, “Craig...I know you. I would know that you would end up sitting on the beach just to clear your head...or simply...just waiting for me to come back,” Tweek smiled.

“....” Craig smiled as he grabbed Tweek’s hand, “I missed you,” Craig said.

Tweek stared at Craig, “I missed you too,” Tweek said.

Craig smiled as tears fell from his eyes, “god...it’s been so long since I’ve seen you...and I’m crying like a kid…” Craig said, “it’s been...so hard...not having you around me,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “I know how you feel,” Tweek said as he held Craig’s hand against his cheek, “it was hard forgetting the person I still love,” Tweek said.

“....You still love me?” Craig asked.

Tweek smiled as he reached out and wiped the tears from Craig’s eyes, “I will always love the human that I care about,” Tweek said.

Craig smiled as he leaned in and kissed Tweek on the lips, “I love you, Tweek.”

Tweek smiled and kissed Craig back, “I love you, Craig,” Tweek said, “and I will always love you...and be there for you,” Tweek said.

Craig smiled as he leaned his head against Tweek, looking into Tweek’s green eyes, and adoring the siren he fell in love with since he was a kid. The two promised that they will stay together from then on, loving each other, and making new memories together.

“So...what has my favorite human been up to these past few years?” Tweek asked.

“It’s a long story,” Craig said.

Tweek smiled, “I have all the time in the world, and I would love to hear your adventures,” Tweek said.

Craig chuckled as he held Tweek’s hand, “alright...well get comfy...this will be awhile...and will have a lot of detail,” Craig smiled, “so...it started when I started living with Clyde’s family, and how Clyde and I have been adventuring the ocean, finding treasure, meeting with the fairies, and meeting some new people and islands. Some were fun, some were dangerous, and others...well...they reminded me of our little island we called home,” Craig smiled.

Tweek smiled, “tell me more,” Tweek said.

Craig nodded and continued his story, telling Tweek everything he did and enjoying having the siren next to him again.

No matter if they were different, or came from different worlds, Craig and Tweek would always be there for each other. For in a world with monstrous creatures, magical beings, and even pirates, Craig and Tweek were meant to be.

** _The End._ **


End file.
